As a customer you have a right to the highest standards when you buy and eat food locally. It is our job to give you peace of mind, by working with local businesses to promote good food hygiene and making sure businesses comply wih the law.
If you want to know anything about food safety contact us on
Telephone: 01327 322281
Email: health.protection@southnorthants.gov.uk
Health Protection Team
Environment Division
South Northamptonshire Council
Springfields
Towcester
Northants
NN12 6AE
We publish all our inspections on the web so you know what to expect when you visit your favourite restaurant or food shop.
We give a star rating to all the places we inspect – ranging from no stars for poor hygiene to five stars for the very best.
To start searching for inspection reports go to Northamptonshire’s food safety website.
You can complain to us if you are worried about poor food hygiene, and we always investigate. For more infomation download our leaflet by clicking on Food Complaint Leaflet (pdf/ 187K).
If you run a food business the law states that you must tell our Health Protection Team about any premises you use for storing, selling, distributing or preparing food. Food premises include restaurants, hotels, cafes, shops, supermarkets, staff canteens, kitchens in offices, warehouses, guest houses, delivery vehicles, buffet cars on trains, market and other stalls, hot dog and ice cream vans, and so on.
Anyone starting a new food business must register with the Health Protection Team at least 28 days before it opens.
Download the Application for the Registration of a Food Business Establishment Form (pdf).
We inspect food premises and offer advice and guidance where we can. Where a food premises is breaking the law we can take enforcement action. To download a copy of our policy for food safety inspections click on the Food Safety Enforcement Policy (pdf).
We investigate individual cases of infectious diseases and food poisoning, and food poisoning outbreaks. We do this to find the source of the outbreak and stop it spreading.
We have leaflets on different types of food poisoning. You can download them by clicking on:
We check the quality of private water supplies and swimming pools but Anglian Water are in charge of the quality of your mains water supply. Visit the Anglian Water website.
We offer the CIEH level two award for food safety in catering and other training sessions as needed. If you are a voluntary organisation we can offer you a discount on the food safety training. Ask us for dates.
We are part of the Northamptonshire Heartbeat Scheme and we offer the nationally recognised Heartbeat award to good, hygienic premises that provide healthy menu choices. Call us to find out how to enter.