CONSUMERS face an increased risk of food poisoning and other serious health issues because of a crisis in food safety, an investigation has found.
Analysis shows that two thirds of restaurants and takeaways in Dumfries and Galloway have not been inspected by food inspectors for more than two years.
This shock figure makes Dumfries and Galloway the third worst region in the UK in terms of upholding food safety standards.
This is also a worrying trend nationally as one in five restaurants and takeaways have not been visited by food inspectors for more than 24 months.
Environmental health teams say a recruitment crisis and a backlog from the pandemic are behind the trend.
The public services union, Unison, said: “This is a serious public health issue.”
A spokesman said: “Inspections are now so delayed that it’s perfectly possible for food businesses with shoddy hygiene practices to operate with little fear of ever being caught.”
The investigation comes amid heightened food safety concerns following an E-coli outbreak in June linked to contaminated products.
The situation is worse in some parts of the country than it is in others.
In Rochford, Essex, over two thirds (68 percent) of food hygiene inspections were carried out over two years ago, according to the BBC investigation. That’s the highest rate of any local authority in Great Britain.
Argyll and Bute had the next highest ratio at 66 percent, followed by Dumfries and Galloway at 65 percent.
A Food Standards Scotland (FSS) spokesman said the system was in need of reform, with the staffing levels of food safety officers currently at 47 percent.
The UK charity, Unchecked, said food standards had been affected by a “general curtailment of enforcement activity”.
A spokesman said: “It’s primarily the consequence of years of disinvestment into what used to be a pretty good system.”
Authorised officers from councils will visit premises to check if businesses are complying with food law and producing food that is safe to eat. They have the right to enter and inspect business premises at any time, and authorised officers usually arrive without making an appointment.
A Dumfries and Galloway Council spokesman said: “Our environmental health service has experienced increasing levels of demand since the covid pandemic.
“In addition to that, the service has found that food hygiene standards have slipped in many food establishments since that time, possibly due to the pause in inspections that was necessary.
“As a consequence, many inspections are taking longer than they would have done previously and we are undertaking a number of return visits to ensure that the public are kept safe.”
