Food Safety
The Food Safety & Licensing Team is based at the Council offices in Haywards Heath and is responsible for about 1,350 food premises.
How can I make a complaint about food safety?
Food safety information
Food sold for human consumption must be:
- Safe to eat
- Free from contamination
- Prepared in a clean and hygienic manner
Our environmental health and food safety officers:
- Carry out food hygiene inspections
- Advise food businesses on how to comply with the law
- Investigate complaints about food that is a danger to health
- Investigate hygiene complaints from consumers
- Investigate allegations of food poisoning
- Carry out bacteriological sampling of food on sale
- Close food premises that pose a risk for health
- Provide free information, advice and literature
Food poisoning and infectious diseases
Please fill out the form below if you think you've had food poisoning after eating food from a business.
Food Safety complaint / enquiry form
When people suffer sickness and diarrhoea they maybe suffering from food poisoning. These symptoms can also result from viral infections and may not be food related.
Please note: You should always contact your doctor for medical advice.
Doctors are required to notify Public Health England (PHE) about diseases carried in food such as:
- Salmonella
- Campylobacter
- E. Coli
Food Business Registration
You must register your food business establishment with us at least 28 days before you start serving food.
If you intend to set up business as a caterer or food retail outlet selling directly to the public - you will normally only need to be registered.
This means you will be able to operate your food business even if you haven't heard back from us about your food premises inspection. This is known as 'tacit consent'.
‘Tacit consent’ means you can act as if your application has been granted if you do not receive your licence/permit within a certain time after we confirm we have received your application.
Certain types of food premises such as dairies, meat product manufacture or wholesale fish markets have to be approved rather than registered before they start trading. Please see the Food Standards Agency website for more information on Approved Establishments (external link): https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/approved-food-establishments
Toilet facilities
If you are providing refreshments for customers that are to be consumed on the premises - you must provide enough toilets. It is also a legal requirement to provide toilet facilities for staff. Please take a look at Provision of toilets in food establishments in Mid Sussex for more information.
Food hygiene ratings
Make informed decisions about where to eat and purchase food:
Search for food hygiene ratings in Mid Sussex
Businesses
Your food business will be given a rating based on a visit to your premises and an assessment carried out by our inspectors. Businesses and consumers can be confident that the scheme is consistent because the scores used to decide the rating are based on a national Code of Practice.
Businesses who want to improve their rating need to attend to everything outlined in their last inspection report before their next routine inspection, and ensure they comply with current food safety legislation. Food Business Operators may request a re-inspection to improve their Food Hygiene Rating Scheme score at any time and as many times as they wish.
This service is undertaken on a cost recovery basis and a fee will be charged for each requested re-visit.
To request a re-visit:
You may request a re-visit and pay online:
Or alternatively you may submit the form below with an accompanying cheque:
To appeal or submit a ‘right to reply’ please use the forms below:
More information for food businesses:
Contact us
Food Safety Team
Tel: 01444-477433
Email: foodsafety@midsussex.gov.uk