More than 600 written warnings were handed out to businesses in Ceredigion for food hygiene issues over the last year, due to problems such as cleanliness and separation of cooked and raw foods.

Data from the Food Standards Agency shows the results of food hygiene intervention inspections in the local authority, over the 12 months to April.

The businesses inspected are mostly restaurants, but include any establishment which handles unpacked food including farms, manufacturers and catering companies.

Inspectors assessed 1,132 businesses and handed out 610 written warnings in Ceredigion.

Any breach of food hygiene regulations can lead to a written warning. Breaches include problems with cleanliness, training of staff, record keeping, washing facilities and separation of cooked and raw foods.

Officials consider the seriousness of the case, as well as the co-operation of the business, before deciding on what action to take.

As well as the written warnings, in Ceredigion there were eight hygiene improvement notices, three detention notices and two food seizures.

High-risk scores were given to eight businesses. This means they need to be inspected again within six months.

This rating is different from the 0 to 5 score that restaurants and takeaways display in their windows, as it is an indicator of when officials need to assess the business again.

A business which gets a high-risk rating is “highly likely” to have breached food hygiene regulations, according to the FSA.

However it could also be because of its trade, such as large-scale manufacturers with lots of customers or businesses that carry out specialist procedures.

In total there were more than 150,000 written warnings handed out in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2017-18, and 267 successful prosecutions. Scotland collects its data separately.

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