IMPROVEMENTS have been made to food hygiene standards across Bridgend County Borough it has been announced, after the Shared Regulatory Service published its annual report for 2022/23.
In a report delivered to council bosses it showed that currently, 98% of food establishments in Bridgend were “broadly compliant” with food hygiene and safety standards, compared to a 95% average across the UK.
It represents an improvement in compliance across the borough, with the percentage going up to 98% from 97.38% in 2021/2022, and reflects the proportion of premises in the area with a three star food hygiene rating or above.
It also highlighted enforcement cases in Bridgend where standards had not been met, in particular a case where a company and its director were said to have been given over £4,500 worth of fines for failing to display food hygiene stickers, after being awarded a food hygiene rating of one.
The purpose of the annual Shared Regulatory Services report is to provide updates on the performance of Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Licensing functions for Bridgend County Borough Council, along with its partners at Cardiff Council and the Vale of Glamorgan.
Elsewhere in the report it was noted how the service ensured that Bridgend County Borough Council had met its statutory obligation under the Environment Act by producing the 2022 Air Quality Annual Progress Report, as well as ensuring animal health and welfare, and supporting the authority with the the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
It also discussed a number of difficulties they expected to face in the coming years, such as the recruitment and retention of staff in certain roles, concerns around the expansion of vapes leading to under-age sales, as well as increased issues with illegal or unlicensed dog breeding.
