If a food enforcement officer is of the view that a food business is not complying with the legal requirements, there is a power to serve an Improvement Notice.  The notice is served on the Food Business Operator, who can be an individual or a corporate identity such as a limited company.

The notice must specify what is wrong, what must be done to resolve the situation and the timescale that has to be met.  There is a right of appeal against the notice, but there is a time limit on lodging the appeal and urgent action is therefore needed if this is not to be missed.

Failing to comply with a notice is a criminal offence.

There are very few law firms who have experience in lodging appeals against these notices and you should ensure that if you want to appeal, your lawyer is familiar with the proceedings and the steps that have to be taken.