Bracknell

Cllr Peter North, Bracknell environmental health officers and winners of the Berkshire Safe Food Awards.Seven caterers in Bracknell Forest who have won gold or silver in Berkshire’s Safe Food Awards have been presented with certificates to mark their achievements.

Bracknell Cllr Peter North, Executive Member for Public Protection and Services, presented the awards to some of the winners in the Council Chamber at Easthampstead House. Several of the winners also met the criteria for the Catering for Health section of the award.

The awards are open to any catering premises in the county, including restaurants, take-aways, canteens, schools, pubs, sandwich shops and mobile caterers. Bracknell Forest's winners were assessed by the Council's environmental health officers during routine inspections without any advance warning.

They were assessed under categories of food hygiene training, their food safety systems, confidence in management and adequacy of their food handling practices and facilities.

Catering for Health is jointly assessed with the Bracknell Forest Primary Care Trust and recognises the provision of a healthy menu choice.

Another 22 traders won bronze and 12 received passes. They are all encouraged to display their certificates in their premises in prominent customer view. Details of the Award assessments will shortly be available on the Council’s website.

The awards remain valid until the premises' next routine inspection - probably in 18 months to two years time. However, if standards are found to have fallen, the award will be withdrawn.

David Steeds, Head of Bracknell Environmental Health and Safety, said: "We want to be able to recognise the achievement of catering businesses in maintaining excellent standards of hygiene and to encourage them to improve further.

"Working in partnership with food businesses, and Bracknell Forest PCT, to help ensure the health residents and visitors is very important to the Council."

Cllr North said: ”I congratulate and thank these caterers for demonstrating they can achieve such high standards of food hygiene.

"The Awards are designed to reassure customers that they are eating in a quality establishment with staff who care about their health and well-being.”

Bracknell Forest Borough Council