HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY
Food and Hygiene started life 6 years ago this week after someone at a dinner party asked me what I wanted to be do with my life.
I couldn’t answer straight away as I like many people working in a steady job hadn’t really looked or thought too far ahead.
I had known that I enjoyed helping people either through self-development or business support and someone suggested training and consultancy business. After a few drinks and a huge discussion about possible ventures, and each time my reply would be `What If it fails? ` Someone said something that made me think, they said:
`If you do something that you’re really passionate about, believe in yourself and give it your best shot then it doesn’t matter if it fails, you pick yourself up and try again`
So I did, by the end of that evening we had developed the business name, registered the domain name and built a list of the services I could supply and that was it, we were up and running. Between Christmas and New Year I made a list of 100 businesses and posted out an introductory letter to each and by the end of the 1st week of the new year we had our first clients, some of which are still our clients today.
But that was 6 years ago now, many said it wouldn’t work and try and drag me down, don’t get me wrong, it’s had its ups and downs like any new business and at times I felt like throwing it all away and find a proper job but one thing keeps me on track, and that is I am as passionate now as I was at that dinner party all those years ago and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported, pushed and believed in me for the last 6 years.
Yes, we have grown, we can now provide more services than I ever envisaged but our core beliefs are exactly the same, developing others and supporting businesses to be safe.
We are under no illusion that there will not be more ups and downs ahead but as long as we keep believing in ourselves, delivering a high quality service to our clients and do business with honesty and integrity then we will give it our best shot for the next 6 years.
From all at Food and Hygiene, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Kind Regards
Paul Warren
Director
Food and Hygiene Ltd
Specialist in looking after your food safety.
01827826141
http://ow.ly/Wi2eB
HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY Food and Hygiene star
Looks like the UK is not the only countr
Looks like the UK is not the only country to be struggling to control Campylobactor as German Survey Shows Salmonella Falling But No Drop in Campylobacter – The Pig Site http://ow.ly/LCOLK
UK – FSA – GoNutrition recalls GoFood Liquid Egg Whites Because of Salmonella
GoNutrition has recalled a batch of bottles of its GoFood Liquid Egg Whites with a ‘best before’ end of 8 April 2015. This is because some bottles have shown the presence of salmonella. Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause food poisoning. The FSA has issued a Product Recall Information Notice.
The recalled product is:
- product name: GoFood Liquid Egg Whites Barn Farmed
- ‘best before’ end (this is displayed on the label as ‘DLC’, the ‘date limite de consommation’): 8 April 2015
- size: 1,000ml
- lot code: 441202.12.05
According to Essential Cafe 44% of Food
According to Essential Cafe 44% of Food service operators are unaware of the new allergen legislation which is coming into force in a few months time. Many are saying that there has been little information from their local enforcement officers and many will need to invest in more staff training.
Will you be ready?
Only 3 months to go before the new legislation comes into force.
We are already supportong our clients to ensure they will be complient but we are finding many food businesses we talk to did not know the new law was happening and they will struggly to comply in time. Surely it is in the best interest of the local authorities to pass this information onto all food businesses in their area to give them any chance of complying in time? http://ow.ly/BmPWh
The EHN Online has announced new guidenc
The EHN Online has announced new guidence on the use of vac pack machines and the ability to use same machine for raw and cooked foods. As long as you can demonstrate that the machine has been effectivley cleaned and disinfected. http://ow.ly/z06rp
There has been a Landmark ruling regardi
There has been a Landmark ruling regarding the long term storage of out-of-date food http://ow.ly/xGddo
The Food Standards Agency have announded
The Food Standards Agency have announded that the Food industry in the UK will be getting a new free web tool to boost safety. http://ow.ly/xbCQb
HACCP – Principle 7 – Establish Your HACCP Documentation and Records
As you know from my previous blogs, your food business may be required by law to have a Food Safety Management System in place based on HACCP principles. You may even be already using the Safer Food Better Business pack that was distributed by your local enforcement authority or your own bespoke system.
On your next inspection by your local EHO your HACCP system and supporting documentation will account for the majority of your Food Hygiene Rating score. Without a suitable HACCP system in place will almost certainly guarantee you an automatic score of `1` it may even be a straight zero score. You can now appreciate the importance of getting this document and its content right, but it`s not a one system fits all scenario, every business is different and your HACCP and the information it contains should be relevant and also reflect what your business does.
Over the last few weeks we have been looking at what you can do to make sure you have the right information to keep your Food Hygiene Rating as high as possible and this week’s topic is `Establishing Your Documents and Records`.
Ensuring you have effective, relevant and accurate record keeping is essential to the application of your HACCP system. If you have followed my previous blogs, your HACCP procedures should already be documented.
The type of documentation and record keeping should be appropriate to your business and be sufficient to assist your business to verify that HACCP controls are in place and being maintained as well as assisting you with your Due Diligence.
Typical documentation could include your Safer Food Better Business pack (SFBB), work instructions, policies, training records, monitoring records, sampling records, invoices, receipts, cleaning records, pest control and temperature records.
As you can see, the kind of records you keep will depend on what type of food business you are so it may seem a daunting prospect to work out what documents and recording system you need.
Some businesses think that lots of forms and records will help but if these forms are complicated or time consuming then staff are more likely to not complete them correctly but we would work very closely with you and your staff to ensure that everyone knew whats expected and how to use the documents. It doesn’t have to be complicated, it just need to work.
Every business is different so if your still not sure what you should be doing then give me a call on 07972914333/08008145399
HACCP – Principle 6 – Verificationof Your HACCP System
As you know from my previous blogs, your food business may be required by law to have a Food Safety Management System in place based on HACCP principles. You may even be already using the Safer Food Better Business pack that was distributed by your local enforcement authority or your own bespoke system.
On your next inspection by your local EHO your HACCP system and supporting documentation will account for the majority of your Food Hygiene Rating score. Without a suitable HACCP system in place will almost certainly guarantee you an automatic score of `1` it may even be a straight zero score. You can now appreciate the importance of getting this document and its content right, but it`s not a one system fits all scenario, every business is different and your HACCP and the information it contains should be relevant and also reflect what your business does.
Over the next few weeks we will be looking at what you can do to make sure you have the right information to keep your Food Hygiene Rating as high as possible and this week’s topic is Verification of your HACCP.
You should be making sure your HACCP system works and you can do this by verification and auditing methods, procedures and tests. This could include random sampling and analysis. Also the frequency of your HACCP verification should be sufficient to confirm that the systems you have put in place are working effectively.
Ideally the verification process should be carried out by someone other than the person who is responsible for performing the monitoring and corrective actions.
Typical examples of verification activities may include:
- A review of your HACCP system.
- Your records.
- Any deviations or problems.
So the question is, are you making sure your HACCP is working? When was the last time you checked?
Every business is different so your verification process will be determined by the process you are undertaking so if your still not sure what you should be doing then give me a call on 07972914333/08008145399
Or complete the contact form.
HACCP – Principle 5 – Corrective Actions
As you know from my previous blogs, your food business may be required by law to have a Food Safety Management System in place based on HACCP principles.
You may even be already using the Safer Food Better Business pack that was distributed by your local enforcement authority or your own bespoke system.
On your next inspection by your local EHO your HACCP system and supporting documentation will account for the majority of your Food Hygiene Rating score. Without a suitable HACCP system in place will almost certainly guarantee you an automatic score of `1` it may even be a straight zero score.
You can now appreciate the importance of getting this document and its content right, but it`s not a one system fits all scenario, every business is different and your HACCP and the information it contains should be relevant and also reflect what your business does.
Over the next few weeks we will be looking at what you can do to make sure you have the right information to keep your Food Hygiene Rating as high as possible and this week’s topic is Corrective Actions.
On last weeks blog we looked at monitoring your CCP`s and a corrective actions is when there is a deviation beyond the critical limit set at a critical control point. The corrective actions are an important part of your HACCP plan as they ensure there is no confusion or uncertainty about what procedures you should follow.
One example could be:
You are cooking a roast joint and your target temperature is 70°c but when you monitor the temperature with your food probe it has only reached 65°c. Your corrective action would be to carry on the cooking until the joint has reached the required temperature.
Another example:
You are checking your deliveries and you notice that the baked bean tin is damaged, what would you do? Your corrective actions should be to reject the can of food and return it to your supplier.
Every business is different so your corrective actions will be determined by the process you are undertaking so if your still not sure what you should be doing
Then give me a call on 07972914333/08008145399 or complete the contact form below.
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