Food Safety, Health and Safety Advice... to give you Peace of Mind

Changes to RIDDOR

2012-02-10T09:00:00.004Z

From 6 April 2012, subject to Parliamentary approval, reporting requirements under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) will change.

From that date, the trigger point for reporting accidents in the workplace which have resulted in staff members being absent or being unable to carry out their normal work will increase from over three days’ to over seven days’(not counting the day on which the accident happened).

The report must be made within 15 days of the accident and the easiest way to do this is online at http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/

This change has come about in response to Lord Young’s report, in which the recommendation was made to bring the incident reporting threshold into alignment with that for obtaining a ‘fit note’ from a GP for sickness absence. This will ensure that someone who has suffered a reportable injury has had a professional medical assessment.

You must still keep a record of the accident in your accident book if the worker has been absent or more than three consecutive days and you should carry out a full investigation into how the accident happened and what action must be taken to prevent it happening again.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have made some changes to the way in which reportable work-related injuries and incidents under RIDDOR are notified to them.

Businesses are still able to notify fatal and major incidents and injuries by phone but all other reportable incidents have moved to an online system: http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/online.htm

Public are concerned about food hygiene when eating out

2012-02-08T09:54:00.001Z

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have published some data which shows that the general public continue to be concerned about is food hygiene when eating out. Other issues include food poisoning and the use of additives in food.

The Agency’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Food Hygiene Information scheme in Scotland, aim to reduce these concerns by encouraging businesses to improve hygiene standards and reduce the incidence of foodborne illness. The schemes help consumers choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving them information about the hygiene standards in restaurants, cafés, takeaways, hotels and food shops.

Whilst there is still a lack of awareness about the FSA’s Food Hygiene Rating and Scores on the Doors, the profile of both of these schemes will be raised and it is essential that a good rating is achieved in order to protect your business and its reputation.

The rating schemes focus on three areas:

· Hygiene – food-handling practices and procedures including staff personal hygiene, temperature control, cross-contamination control and demonstration of safe food preparation in terms of cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage.

· Structure – your premises including cleanliness, layout, condition of structure, lighting, ventilation, facilities and evidence of effective pest control and waste disposal provision.

· Confidence in management – effectiveness and appropriateness of your documented food safety management system and whether the hazards within your business are understood, properly controlled and managed. Evidence of appropriate staff training and relevant competencies within the business will also be considered.

Window stickers are being provided under the schemes and whilst businesses will be encouraged to display them, it is not yet mandatory.

Food Alert is aware that some businesses have had their star-rating reduced on the basis of them using one vacuum-packing machine for both raw and ready-to-eat products. In accordance with the E.coli guidance that has been issued by the FSA, separate pieces of complex equipment such as vacuum-packing machines, meat slicers and scales must be provided for raw and ready-to-eat foods. Cleaning and sanitisation between uses is no longer considered as an acceptable and robust contrail.

How sustainable is your business ?

2012-02-06T09:47:00.000Z

The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) was launched in 2010 in

response to diners’ demands for an easy means to find sustainable

places to eat and restaurants’ need for expert advice and support to meet

that demand.

The SRA is now working with close to 1,000 restaurants across the UK and Food Alert are delighted that a number of our clients are included in this list:

Cabana Café Spice Namaste

Chipotle Dishoom

Gauthier Soho Harvey Nichols

Hush Le Pain Quotidien

Leon Oxo Tower Restaurant

Ping Pong Pitt Cue

River Cottage Canteen & Deli Soho House Group

The Chilli Pickle The Ledbury

The Wolseley Wahaca

Wright Brother Soho Oyster House

Every member of the SRA agrees to make at least three areas of the business more sustainable every 12 months. Restaurants don’t have to be sustainable to join, but they need to commit to be better.

A rapidly increasing number of restaurants are also now putting their sustainability credentials to the test. At the last count, 400 had agreed to an SRA Star Rating survey. This is a rigorous test – 70 questions across the whole range of sustainability. It covers everything from waste management, to animal welfare, treatment of staff and ratio of UK wines on the menu. In order to verify restaurants’ claims, the SRA also requires evidence to support their answers.

On the basis of the restaurant’s score the SRA assessor will then calculate whether it has been successful in achieving One, Two or Three Star status. If successful, the restaurant is then getting true recognition for the admirable work it is doing as well as forming a baseline from which it can improve over coming years. Importantly, the SRA Star Rating system provides a straightforward and transparent means by which consumers can pick their dining destination.

The SRA also has a campaigning role and recently took on the enormous 600,000 tonne issue of restaurant food waste. The doggy box is at the heart of the ‘Too Good To Waste’ campaign, to which 100 London restaurants have signed up. These participants also receive a range of materials including advice and information that if implemented should see them cut food waste by 20%.

In 2012 the SRA will turn its campaigning focus to the issue of apprenticeships, helping restaurants find the next generation of chefs and giving young people that all important first step into the industry.

For further information on how the SRA can help you and your business, please visit http://thesra.org/

Alert: Outbreak of Salmonella newport linked to watermelons

2012-02-03T16:47:00.001Z

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recently reported an outbreak of food poisoning in the UK caused by Salmonella newport. We are bringing this to your attention but consider it to be of low-risk given that the last case of illness was reported at the end of December 2011. The news article from the FSA can be found there: http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2012/feb/salnew

Initial indications from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) suggest that the outbreak, which affected more than 30 people during the month of December with one person dying, could be linked to watermelons but they have not confirmed this as yet.

In November 2011 the HPA isolated Salmonella newport from a ready-to-eat sliced watermelon and subsequently a number of people who became unwell were found to be infected with the same strain. It was then discovered that 10 of the 15 cases who were followed up by telephone interview reported eating watermelon in the three days prior to the onset of their symptoms. It is thought that either the surface or the flesh of the watermelons could have been contaminated.

Following this outbreak and the outbreaks of E.coli in 2011 linked to the consumption and handling of contaminated vegetables, please remember to thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables prior to use. It is important that fruit and vegetables are treated as non-ready-to eat items unless clearly marked as 'ready-to-eat' by your supplier. Any vegetables which have been grown below the ground and which have evidence of soil on them should be stored separately to other products.

Food allergies: how can you be prepared?

2011-12-12T09:33:00.001Z

There has been an increased focus on allergen awareness in recent years and it is important for restaurants to know exactly which allergens are present in their menu items. It is estimated that about 2% of the population suffer from food allergy and upto 45% of people in the UK suffer from food intolerance.

A food allergy is a rapid and potentially serious response to a food by the body’s immune system, resulting in inflammatory substances being released into the body. The most severe and dangerous reaction is anaphylaxis. Symptoms from food intolerances tend to occur more slowly and can include migraine, skin rashes and problems with the gut.

It is essential that front of house staff know the importance of taking the correct action when a guest notifies them of an allergy or intolerance. They need to know where to find allergen information and they should be encouraged to always check with the chef on duty. In the event of uncertainty about the presence of an allergen, the dish should not be served to the guest.

The Food Standards Agency has created an on-line training tool for allergen awareness and the relevant staff in your business should undergo this training: http://allergytraining.food.gov.uk/english/default.aspx

Foodborne Botulism: tips regarding safe storage and food usage from the FSA

2011-12-09T09:33:00.001Z

In November, two members of the same family contracted botulism and were hospitalised in Scotland after eating from a jar of ready-prepared sauce. The sauce was recalled from retail and wholesale outlets and investigations are still ongoing.

Botulism is rare in the UK and is caused by toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which attacks the nervous system and can affect people of any age. The disease is not contagious and so cannot be spread from person to person. The largest outbreak of foodborne botulism in the UK was in 1989 when 27 individuals were ill after consuming contaminated hazelnut yoghurt.

Foodborne botulism occurs when heat resistant spores germinate and the bacterium grows and produces botulinum toxin in food. The toxin is only produced when Clostridium botulinum grows in an environment which is free from oxygen, such as cans, jars and vacuum-packed products.

As a result of these cases, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has reiterated its advice on the safe storage and use of food:

Upon delivery and before using any jars, cans, vacuum-packed or modified-atmosphere packaged foods, you should check if the packaging has burst, become distorted, if the lid has ‘popped’ or the seal is broken. If so, do not use the product.
Follow any storage instructions on the label. If the label states that the product should be stored in the refrigerator, make sure it’s kept at 8°C or below.
Some unopened foods can be safely be stored at room temperature but once open, must be refrigerated– check the label.
Discard food that is past its ‘use by’ date.
Use any opened food within two days, unless the instructions state otherwise.
Follow any instructions on the label about how to cook or reheat food.
Ensure vacuum-packing machines are used correctly – staff can trained using the Food Standards Agency’s free on-line training course at: http://vacuumpackingtraining.food.gov.uk/introduction/

Chicken livers: how to cook them safely?

2011-12-07T09:33:00.003Z

There has been a recent outbreak of food poisoning where 80 guests fell ill after a fund-raising dinner at a hotel in Manchester. The outbreak was linked to the consumption of chicken liver pâté and was caused by Campylobacter. The outbreak is now being investigated by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and environmental health officers from Salford council.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued guidance to caterers in 2010 highlighting the necessity to thoroughly cook chicken livers when used in products such as pâté or parfait as Campylobacter can be present throughout the liver and not just on the surface. This information has been reiterated by the FSA at the following link: http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2011/dec/campypate

The Agency advises that liver, kidneys, and other types of offal should be handled hygienically to avoid cross-contamination of ready-to-eat foods and cooked thoroughly all the way through, reaching a core temperature of 70°C for two minutes or equivalent. The equivalent heat treatments are:

65°C: 10 minutes
75°C: 30 seconds
80°C: 6 seconds

FSA research results: Novovirus found in oysters

2011-12-05T15:23:00.001Z

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have published the results from some research carried out by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) whereby samples were taken from 39 harvesting areas across the UK.

More than 800 samples of 10 oysters each were tested for the presence of norovirus and it was found that a significant proportion (76%) tested positive. Of these positive results, just over half of them had low levels of the virus present.

The FSA have stated that it is difficult to assess the potential health impact of these findings, as the available research techniques are not able to differentiate between infectious and non-infectious norovirus material within the oysters. Furthermore, a safe limit for norovirus has not been established.

The advice from the FSA is that consumers should be aware of the risks of eating raw oysters and that older people, pregnant women, very young children and people who are unwell should avoid eating them.

For more information about this research and to read the full Cefas report, please visit http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2011/nov/norovirus

E. Coli new update

2011-12-01T10:51:00.003Z

Further to the advice issued earlier this year regarding the controlling the risk of contamination from E.coli O157, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have released a revised version of the questions and answers document.

A full copy can be downloaded here

The areas which are of particular significance are listed below.

Please note questions 8, 9 and 10 which refer to the handling of fruit and vegetables and stress the importance of washing these products to remove any soil attached to them. The FSA suggest that the reduction in microbiological contamination that occurs through the washing of produce is linked to the amount of physical agitation rather than the effect of using a chlorine solution and as a result do not recommend the use of chlorine.

It is important that fruit and vegetables are treated as non-ready-to eat items unless clearly marked as 'ready-to-eat' by your supplier. Any vegetables which have been grown below the ground and which have evidence of soil on them should be stored separately to other products.

Question 20 highlights the need to have separate pieces of complex equipment such as vacuum-packing machines, slicers, mincers and scales for ready-to-eat and non-ready-to-eat foods.

Question 22 confirms that food that has yet to undergo a final control measure such as cooking is not ‘ready-to-eat' and as such can be handled using complex equipment that is designated for raw foods.

Question 26 gives advice on segregation during storage and handling and emphasises that where permanent segregation of raw and clean areas is not possible, a temporary designation of areas can be used. A robust method of cleaning and disinfection between uses must of course be demonstrated.

Question 28 refers to the use of separate utensils from those used for raw foods to plate cooked foods from the cooking range for service. It is suggested that raw foods are only handled using tongs, forks or other utensils.

Question 29 explains the importance of disinfecting probe thermometers between uses.

Question 37 is concerned with the effective operation of dishwashers. In order to ensure that the equipment is being subjected to an adequate disinfection step, the machine should be set to run on the slowest speed and the rinse temperature should be set to the highest setting.

For further practical advice on the application of this guidance, you may want to use the FSA's DVD aimed at butchers' shops , but which can be applied to any food premises that handles both raw and ready-to-eat products.

Beef burgers…how should they be cooked?

2011-08-18T14:11:00.002+01:00

There has been some recent discussion with some of our clients as to whether undercooked burgers are safe to serve. Food Alert’s advice on this matter is in line with the guidance that was issued by the Chief Medical Officer in 1998 and that was reinforced in 2007 by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food.

The advice of the Chief Medical Officer for the safe cooking of burgers is that their core temperature should reach 70°C for 2 minutes or equivalent. Example time/temperature equivalents are 65°C for 13.6 minutes and 75°C for 18 seconds.

The current advice does state that the use of other time/temperature combinations should not be ruled out where it can be demonstrated that the final product is safe and that the process is under effective control.

One approach to this is to demonstrate that the supplier of the meat has controls in place to prevent contamination. However, many environmental health officers (EHOs) still will not accept this and insist that the critical control point within the process is thorough cooking.

The ACMSF report on the safe cooking of burgers can be downloaded here. This is quite a lengthy document but page 4 has the key points summarised by way of a conclusion.

More recently, an article was published in the Environmental Health News where an EHO is urging restaurants not to serve under-cooked burgers: click here to see the article.

We should be mindful of the fact that in view of the new guidance regarding the control of E.coli, hygiene improvement notices may be served if a safe cooking process for burgers cannot be demonstrated.

E. coli update

2011-06-16T14:46:00.001+01:00

The German authorities have updated their position on the E. coli outbreak in Germany.

While they are still unable to definitively identify the source, officials have said that further evidence suggests sprouted seeds, such as lentils, alfalfa, fenugreek and adzuki beans, are likely to be a potential source of the outbreak. They have advised German consumers that they no longer need to avoid eating cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce, but have said that raw sprouted seeds should not be eaten.

The UK Food Standards Agency is continuing to work closely with other Member States and the European Commission to check on progress of the incident. It remains the case that there is no evidence that any affected food products have been distributed to any country other than Germany.

Latest figures from the Health Protection Agency indicate that the total number of confirmed cases of illness in England linked to the German outbreak is now 13. One case has also been identified in Scotland. All of these people are linked to recent travel to Germany.

The Agency is reminding consumers of the importance of basic food hygiene practices when preparing food; also to wash fruit and vegetables before you serve them to ensure that they are clean, and to help remove germs that might be on the outside. Peeling or cooking fruit and vegetables can also remove these germs.

Questions and answers on the Food Standards Agency guidance on controlling the risk of cross-contamination from E.coli O157

2011-06-07T15:50:00.003+01:00

Further to the publication of the new guidance relating to controls over E. coli, the Food Standards Agency has issued some Q&As. A copy of the Q&A document is attached along at this link: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/enforcement/crosscontaminationqanda.pdf

Having studied the document, we believe the most important points to consider are:

Q18 & end of Q36 - Complex equipment
Complex equipment (vacuum packing, slicers, mincers) dual use for raw and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods cannot be considered to be safe and hence must be separate

Q20 - Scales
Scales should be considered to be complex equipment - hence you should have separate scales for raw & RTE foods

Q24 - Application of guidance to caterers
- Acknowledges that complete separation of surfaces in small catering units is not possible, but that disinfection between uses is required
- When cooking, different tongs etc. to be used for raw and RTE foods
- When cooking, plates and RTE equipment to be kept separate from raw ingredients

Q27 - Floor cleaning equipment
Doesn't have to be separate equipment but must not be allowed to contaminated other cleaning equipment

Q33 - No dishwasher
Separate sinks should, if possible, be provided for raw and RTE equipment cleaning. If this is not possible use the RTE equipment first, then disinfect the sink

E. coli outbreak

2011-06-03T12:33:00.001+01:00

You will be aware that a significant number of cases of illness linked to the E. coli bacterium have occurred recently. The cases are linked to contaminated salad vegetables and have caused at least 18 deaths and hundreds of infections in Germany, Sweden and other countries. A small number of UK cases caught the infection in Germany, where the outbreak began.

The bacterium produces a toxin that can be fatal and scientists have identified a highly-toxic strain of E. coli which is linked to these cases.

The Food Standards Agency is continuing to monitor the ongoing investigation into the outbreak of E. coli in Europe. Initial reports that cucumbers were the source of the bacteria have not been confirmed and other food sources are being sampled. It has currently found no evidence that produce from possible sources identified so far has been distributed to the UK.

The exact source of the contamination has not yet been determined.

The Food Standards Agency has currently not issued any specific guidance to UK food businesses.

Food Alert will continue to update you and advise of any specific action that you should be taking to safeguard your customers’ health.

Slips, trips and falls – the most common cause of accidents in the hospitality industry

2011-06-03T11:24:00.001+01:00

Slips and trips are the most common hazards in the workplace and make up over a third of all major injuries. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have produced the following statistics:

Slips and trips are responsible for, on average:

- over a third of all reported major injuries
- 20% of over-3-day injuries to employees
- 2 fatalities per year
- 50% of all reported accidents to members of the public that happen in workplaces
- cost to employers £512 million per year (lost production and other costs)
- cost to health service £133 million per year
- incalculable human cost
- a significant number of major injuries within the hospitality sector
- more major injuries in manufacturing and in the service sectors than any other cause.

To tackle slips and trips successfully in your workplace you need to put in place an effective management system, carry out regular reviews of your risk assessments and make sure you are aware of the relevant laws and regulations.

All staff should be trained in the following to reduce the risk of slips and trips in the workplace:

- Make sure the floor is clean and dry
- Reporting any leaks
- Clear up spillages immediately in both back of house and front of house areas
- Display of slippery floor signs
- Importance of good cleaning of floors to prevent a build up of grease
- Dispose of waste materials
- Remove any obstructions particularly around stairways
- Avoid causing trailing cables
- Store goods safely
- Make sure flooring materials are level and secure
- Highlight any slopes and changes of levels
- Ensure you have adequate lighting
- Wear sensible footwear
- Reporting accidents or near misses

The Health and Safety Executive have developed an e-learning tool for slips and trips, which is suitable for employees and managers. The package can be accessed via this link: http://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/step/start.htm and if you need a complete Health and Safety e-learning course check our CIEH Level 2 Health and Safety in the workplace online course at http://www.itrainingcourses.co.uk/?page=courses&id=12

Guidance for the prevention of E. coli O157 contamination

2011-05-16T10:21:00.001+01:00

An organism called E. coli O157, found in the intestines of cattle, can cause a very serious type of food poisoning and in a small percentage of people can cause death. This organism produces toxins which can be harmful even when ingested in very small amounts. The ingestion of as few as 10 organisms can cause a person to develop symptoms, whereas up to one million Salmonella bacteria would need to be ingested before symptoms of food poisoning are displayed.

The illness caused by this organism ranges from mild diarrhoea to severe intestinal bleeding and complications can lead to kidney failure. Young children are often most seriously affected and infection from this organism can be potentially fatal, as with the tragic case of Mason Jones in South Wales in 2005. To date, the outbreaks have mainly been associated with butchers’ shops and petting farms.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have recently published an alert on their website:
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2011/feb/ecoli

This link contains guidance notes and a fact sheet for food business operators (FBOs) to clarify the steps required to control the risk of contamination from this organism.

Some of the key measures arising from the guidance are:


•	Identification of separate work areas, surfaces and equipment for raw and ready-to-eat food. (Ready-to-eat foods are those that require no further heat treatment before consumption, so items that are part-cooked and will be subject to further cooking before being served are not included.)
•	Use of separate complex equipment, such as vacuum-packing machines, slicers, and mincers for raw and ready-to-eat food.
•	Handwashing should be carried out using a recognised technique. Anti-bacterial gels must not be used instead of thorough handwashing.
•	Disinfectants and sanitisers must meet officially recognised standards and should be used as instructed by the manufacturer.

The guidance notes can be found here: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/publication/ecoliguide0211.pdf

The E. coli fact sheet can be found here: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/publication/ecolifactsheet0211.pdf

Wherever possible, Food Alert will help you to find workable solutions for your operation.

In addition to controlling the risk of cross-contamination, the guidance below should also be followed when storing, preparing and cooking beef burgers and other minced beef products.


•	Wash hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.
•	Store all raw meat separately in refrigerated conditions.
•	Thoroughly clean and disinfect all utensils and equipment with which raw meat comes into contact in the dishwasher.
•	The use of colour coded equipment such as knives and chopping boards will help to prevent cross contamination between raw meat and cooked foods.
•	Ensure all burgers and other minced beef products are cooked to 70°C for two minutes or use an equivalent time/temperature combination. There should be no pink meat in the middle and the juices should run clear. (This advice regarding the time /temperature combination was issued by the Chief Medical Officer in 1998 and is still the recommended procedure)

Cooking of chicken livers

2011-04-14T12:43:00.000+01:00

Information from the Health Protection Agency shows that during 2009 the number of outbreaks of Campylobacter associated with chicken liver products increased substantially: nine of the 15 outbreaks reported between 2005 and 2009 occurred during 2009. An additional five outbreaks associated with consumption of chicken liver pâté or parfait were reported in the first half of 2010.

The majority of the outbreaks between 2005 and 2010 were associated with undercooked chicken livers in pâté or parfait products which had been produced at catering establishments, such as restaurants and hotels, and have involved products that have been prepared on site as opposed to purchased ready-made.

Accordingly The Food Standards Agency is reminding caterers that they must ensure chicken livers are handled hygienically and cooked thoroughly when used in products such as pâté or parfait as Campylobacter can be present throughout the liver, not just on the surface..

The Agency advises that liver, kidneys, and other types of offal should be handled hygienically to avoid cross-contamination and cooked thoroughly all the way through, reaching a core temperature of 70°C for two minutes or equivalent. The equivalent heat treatments are:

• 65°C: 10 minutes
• 75°C: 30 seconds
• 80°C: 6 seconds

Cheese boards ... are they safe?

2011-03-25T10:38:00.004Z

The serving of cheese courses has always posed a number of challenges but given that there is a recent increased interest in Listeriasp as being a major player in food poisoning cases in the UK resulting in deaths, this is an area that warrants some attention.

The Food Hygiene Regulations 2006 require high risk food (which includes soft cheeses) to be stored below 8°C. There is however a 4-hour exemption which allows high risk food to be stored above 8°C providing it:

• is for service or on display for sale

• has not previously been kept for service or display for sale above 8°C

• has been kept for service or on display for sale for a period of less than four hours.

It is important to note however that the exemption only allows one single period outside of temperature control. Foods displayed above 8ºC for up to four hours should subsequently be placed under chilled conditions until they are served, sold, or discarded. Alternatively, they should be discarded immediately after the tolerance period.

In order to comply with the regulations, the following steps are recommended:

• The use of a separate cheese fridge running at 8ºC should be considered, hence reducing the length of time needed to warm the cheese and helping to maintain the cheese in its optimum condition

• Soft cheeses should be brought out from refrigeration as late as possible before service

• Eutectic plates (frozen ice packs) should be used under the soft cheese board to help maintain cooler conditions

• Soft cheeses should be displayed in far smaller quantities, particularly in the case of unpasteurised cheeses

• At the end of service unpasteurised soft cheeses should be discarded due to the increased risk of Listeria and all other cheeses should be placed under refrigeration as quickly as possible

• Once soft cheeses have been displayed at ambient temperature they must not be subject to ambient display again; they can however be served directly from chilled storage in the kitchen

The world is your oyster…

2011-03-04T12:14:00.001Z

Over the past two months we have received a significant number of alleged food poisoning cases associated with oysters. It is important that you contact your supplier to ensure that the oysters they are providing to you are sourced from unaffected areas.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recently published an alert on their web-site advising that at this time of the year there is a risk of Norovirus being present in the oysters. A copy of the full alert can be found at the following link:

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2011/jan/oysters

They have also issued guidance notes on the safe storage and handling of oysters for retailers which makes for interesting reading and we would recommend that this advice is followed to minimise any risk.
The guidance notes from the FSA are available here:
Download Guide

In addition to the guidance we strongly recommend that a chemical which is effective against viruses is used to clean an area of 1 metre around the point of opening. All equipment used to open or store oysters should be passed through the dishwasher to ensure the virus is killed.

Deep fat fryers: safety advice

2011-01-14T11:52:00.000Z

Deep fat fryers are the most common cause of serious claims as they present a number of safety risks—potential fires, slips and serious burns.

The positioning of the fryer is important. It should be situated away form the ends of the range, cooking equipment where water could be spilt into the fryer and busy work areas or walkways, Ideally small tables will be located either side of the fryers.

The fryers are often a cause of significant fires as they over heat, catch fire and ignite the grease in the main kitchen duct. You must at least have a lid and fire blanket for the equipment. Ideally you should have a wet chemical portable extinguisher which is suitable for fat fires and it is preferable that you have a suitable fire suppression system installed. Your insurer may even require it. Remember to have you duct cleaned, normally every 6 months unless your cleaner recommends a different frequency based on their observations.

The fryer also causes significant burns when the oil is removed before it has cooled. Oil should only be drained from the fryer after it has had sufficient time to cool. This can take a long time and is a task best done before starting work rather than at the end of the shift. A sign should be displayed in the fryer stating the oil must be cooled before removal (available from Food Alert).

A number of serious accidents have also occurred with staff slipping on floors adjacent to deep fat fryers. In one case a waitress plunged her arm into a fryer whilst attempting to stop herself falling as she slipped on a kitchen floor resulting in serious and traumatic injury. Care must be taken to ensure the area around the fryer is kept free of trip hazards and that the floor is subject to effective cleaning which leaves the floor in a safe condition. Any spillages must be cleaned up immediately.

Remember to keep your risk assessment up to date and ensure all staff who use the fryer receive recorded training in its safe use.

Vacuum packing machines: control over cross contamination

2010-12-16T12:19:00.001Z

Following a major outbreak of E.coli O157 that occurred in South Wales where contaminated cooked meat was served to pupils in schools throughout four local authority areas, a total of 157 people, mostly children, became ill, and a five year old boy died. One of the causes was found to be cross contamination from vacuum packing machine used for raw and cooked food. The butcher who supplied the affected food received a twelve month prison sentence after pleading guilty to seven counts of food hygiene offences.

As a result of an investigation and report into the food poisoning’s, Environmental Health Officers are increasingly requiring improved management of vacuum packing machines and in some cases the provision of separate vacuum packing machines, one for each type of food being packed i.e. raw and cooked meats.

Please note the following controls should significantly reduce the risk of cross-contamination in your business:

• Where possible, separate vacuum packing equipment should be used for raw and cooked foods;

• Ensure all food handling staff that uses the machine undertakes the Food Standards Agency’s free on-line training course at:http://vacuumpackingtraining.food.gov.uk/introduction/. The training certificates should be kept readily available;

• If the equipment is used solely for packing high-risk foods, position it away from areas that are used for raw foods;

• Use the correct food-grade pouches of appropriate size (which allow for 12mm around product);

• Ensure the packaging is protected during storage to prevent contamination;

• Check the pouch is sealed correctly after vacuuming;

• Train your food handling staff in the correct cleaning and disinfection procedure and display a copy of it next to the vacuum packing machine.

The equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after each use using a sanitiser (follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding the ‘contact time’);

• Store. This will be a Critical Control Point, but the lower the temperature during storage, the better, as the growth of food poisoning and spoilage bacteria will be reduced;

• Vacuum packs should be identified with the name of the food, the date of production, and the ‘use by’ date. Where the machine is capable of 0.9 bar pressure and the sealed products are storied below 8°C shelf lives for fish should not exceed four days and all other products five days. Longer shelf lives should be confirmed by bacterial analysis;

• ensure any out of date chilled vacuum packed product is discarded;

• store vacuum packed high-risk foods away from raw foods;

• Ensure the vacuum packing equipment is in good working order and has regular maintenance checks; encourage staff to report faults