The Community Protection Services is responsible for carrying out a programme of inspections of food premises in the borough, ranging from small shops to restaurants and food factories to ensure that they meet adequate standards of hygiene. The service deals with service requests from clients who wish to complain about poor hygiene standards.

Safety of food sold

We also deal with the safety of food sold and have a programme of food standards inspections to monitor the safety of food for sale to ensure that it meets standards for composition, labelling and contamination by bacteria. There is a sampling programme and food specimens are regularly sent to the Public Analyst and to the Public Health Laboratory Service for examination. The Community Protection Services will investigate individual complaints of mis-described, unfit or substandard food sold and take legal action against suppliers where appropriate. Recent investigations have included work on meat described as 'Halal' which may not be genuine.

Control of infectious diseases

We have the responsibility for the control of infectious diseases and are particularly involved in investigating and preventing outbreaks of food poisoning. We receive notifications of food handlers who are suffering from food borne infections and exclude them from work if there is a risk that the infection may be passed on to customers.

Food hygiene training

The service is a centre for food hygiene training and regularly runs basic food hygiene courses for food handlers in the Borough

Related information

For individual advice, problems or complaints contact us:

Waltham Forest Trading Standards
Environment and Regeneration
Waltham Forest Council
Sycamore House
Forest Road
Walthamstow  E17 4JF

Email wfdirect@walthamforest.gov.uk
Tel 020 8496 3000