Thursday 10 May 2012
The Food Standards Agency has published two pieces of research that assessed the level of voluntary display of its food hygiene schemes in the UK.

Independent research was commissioned to assess the level of voluntary display of Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) ratings in England and Northern Ireland, and Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) ‘Pass’ results in Scotland. Separate ongoing research, part of the wider independent evaluation of the FHRS and FHIS, considered the views of consumers, local authorities and food businesses on the issue of voluntary versus mandatory display.

The research has shown that:

43% of businesses in England and 50% in Northern Ireland that had been given an FHRS rating were displaying it
the higher the rating the more likely a business was to display: 56% of businesses in England and 57% in Northern Ireland rated ‘4’ or ‘5’ displayed, compared with 12% and 22% respectively of those rated ’0′ to ’2′
47% of businesses in Scotland were displaying their FHIS ‘Pass’ result
consumers and local authorities in FHRS/FHIS areas were generally supportive of mandatory display
businesses tended to be divided, with support for mandatory display expressed by some higher rated businesses
concerns were raised about mandatory display, such as impact on trade and resources
In 2011, similar research to assess the level of voluntary display of FHRS ratings was carried out on the FSA’s behalf in Wales. This contributed to the Welsh Government’s proposals to introduce legislation for mandatory display of FHRS ratings at food businesses in Wales.

In 2008, the FSA Board decided that display of ratings at premises should initially be voluntary, but that this should be kept under review. A mandatory approach, which would require new legislation, should be considered in future if necessary.

The Board will be reviewing the current voluntary approach to the display of ratings at its meeting on 22 May 2012.

Wednesday 2 May 2012
PepsiCo is recalling some (277 packs) of its Tropicana Kids Orange Juice Drink multi-packs because they contain only water rather than the orange juice blend. The water is affected by microbiological contamination. If you have bought the product, don’t drink it. The Agency has issued a Product Recall Information Notice.

Product details
The product being recalled is:

Tropicana Kids Orange Juice Drink, multipack 4 x 200ml
No batch or date codes, no branding
PepsiCo has recalled the affected product. Customer notices have been displayed in stores, explaining why the product has been recalled.

If you have bought the affected product, don’t drink it. You can return it for a full refund to Tropicana:
Tropicana Consumer Care
Freepost LE4 918
Leicester LE4 5ZY

No other PepsiCo products are known to be affected.

Wednesday 25 April 2012
Fines and costs of over £20k have been awarded against a company found in breach of meat hygiene regulations.

On 14 February, the FSA won a case against A C Hopkins (Taunton) Ltd, a meat company that had failed to make sure meat was kept chilled throughout the entire food chain. Following this conviction, the Old Bailey judge has now announced a sentence against the company of fines and costs amounting to £23,000.

The company had failed to ensure, as required by European Union Hygiene Regulations, that pig carcasses were immediately chilled in the slaughterhouse at a temperature throughout the meat of not more than 7°C and then kept at that temperature during transport.

Andrew Rhodes, Director of Operations, said: ‘This case highlights the responsibilities food businesses and legislators have to ensure that food law is complied with. Professor Hugh Pennington, in his 2009 report on the E.coli outbreak in Wales, made the point that legislative requirements are not optional. Food businesses cannot decide what they will or will not comply with, just as legislators such as the FSA cannot pick and choose which parts of legislation we enforce or not.

‘The rules are there to protect public health, and must always be taken seriously, as the court agreed. The vast majority of meat businesses do things correctly, so there is little defence for the minority who do not comply with the law.’

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Care-homes/

Golden Speckled Egg

We have earlier told you about the $100,000 world’s most expensive Easter egg, and now William Curley, a London based chocolatier is now the proud Guiness World Record holder for crafting the most expensive non-jeweled chocolate egg that ever got sold at an auction. Christened as the Golden Speckled Egg, the egg was auctioned as part of the Big Egg Hunt presented by Faberge, which is a tradition related to the Easter egg festival. This contemporary and stylish chocolate egg was bought by the technology investor Cyrus Vandrevala for $10,000.

http://www.bornrich.com/worlds-expensive-chocolate-easter-egg-william-curley-sold-10000.html

Tuesday 3 April 2012
The Food Standards Agency has launched the Play it Safe campaign, to raise awareness of food safety during the London 2012 Games. The Agency is working with food businesses and food safety enforcement officers to ensure all food sold, cooked and eaten during the Games is safe.

The first strand of the campaign focuses on the Food Safety Squad, the 10 environmental health officers acting as ambassadors for food safety. They represent the hundreds of environmental health officers around the country who are carrying out vital work to keep visitors to the Games safe and healthy.

The campaign highlights the Agency measures being undertaken to minimise the risk of food safety incidents occurring during London 2012. These include a food safety coaching programme for small businesses in Olympic areas that are in need of improvement; funding and training initiatives for local authorities in Olympic areas; and providing extra equipment for sampling and checks on cleaning.

Sarah Appleby, Head of Enforcement and Local Authority Delivery at the FSA, said: ‘London 2012 is about celebrating everything that the UK has to offer, and food plays an important part. We want all food business owners to ensure that everything they sell is the best it can be. It will be an exceptionally busy time for many food businesses, and we’re providing extra support and advice to make sure they’re well prepared to meet the challenge.’

More information will be available on http//:www. food.gov.uk/olympicsand through a dedicated Twitter feed: @playitsafefood

The Food Standards Agency is reminding anyone who is considering setting up a stall selling refreshments during the Olympics to plan ahead. To help, the Agency has produced guidance answering the most frequently asked questions.

The stall will need to be registered as a food business and, if it is to be situated on a public road or path, a street trading licence will also need to be obtained from the local authority. Anyone not following these procedures may face tough enforcement action.

Sarah Appleby, Head of Enforcement and Local Authority Delivery at the Food Standards Agency, said: ‘The Games are likely to bring communities together and create a wonderfully festive atmosphere. They also offer opportunities for the more enterprising among us. But this summer the UK will welcome the world to the Olympics and it is more important than ever that the food being sold is safe.

‘I urge anybody who is tempted to sell food or drink to visitors at the Games, to check what the regulations are and to talk to your local authority about licences and registration well in advance.’

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2012/mar/olympicsstalls

If, you missed it you can watch the programme via this link to the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01dlv4l/Food_Inspectors_Takeaway_Terrors/ 

Useful Learning Points

For those of us in the food production and service business there was some useful information on the programme and an insight into the different scenarios food inspectors have to deal with on a daily basis.

• Importance of keeping temperature records
• Scores on the doors
•  Registering your catering business or home kitchen with the local authority if you are providing food for the public.
• Salmonella poisoning
• Washing hands

One stall holder selling food,refused to register as he could not see the point……perhaps its too keep us safe from becoming ill!!

Expert support and Training

If you require any help and training, please contact me chris@ckfoodsafetyconsultancy.co.uk

Watch Again at :http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01dlv4l/Food_Inspectors_Takeaway_Terrors/