Food safety
If you run a small marketing agency into which employees bring their own lunch, for example, food safety is unlikely to be applicable. After all, you, as an organisation, are not supplying or selling food or drink.
On the other hand, if your organisation supplies flour to a bakery, sausages to a restaurant, or a menu of food or drink to café, pub or bar patrons – among plenty of other examples – strict adherence to food health and safety is essential.
Failure to comply with existing legislation could cause harm to the recipient, damage to your reputation and leave you legally accountable.
The best way to ensure your organisation is compliant with food safety law is to arrange a food safety audit undertaken by independent experts who recognise what good practices look like.
In the event that those auditors highlight any areas of improvement, you can take action before local authority inspectors come calling.
This gives you the opportunity to undertake training where knowledge or skills might be lacking, upgrade equipment or address any areas where fundamental changes need to be made.
Safety services:
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As experienced providers of clear, easy-to-understand wellbeing support, our team will be more than happy to discuss how they can help you.
How Loch Wellness can help:
Our inspection teams can undertake an independent audit of your food safety practices without disrupting your business. That audit can highlight any areas of improvement, allowing you to make changes – where necessary – before the local authority inspectors arrive.
An audit might also identify opportunities for additional food safety training, something that we can also arrange.
The level of food safety training necessary will depend on the role.
For example, a level 1 food safety training course will be suitable for:
- Employees with minimal food safety knowledge;
- Employees who are handling food that is considered to be low-risk;
- Front-of-house staff who transport food and drink or assist with ordering; and
- Back-of-house staff, such as kitchen porters.
On the other hand, a level 2 food safety training course will benefit anyone who has direct contact with open, high-risk food, ingredients or drinks. Participants in a food safety level 2 training course might include:
- Bakers;
- Butchers;
- Fishmongers; and
- Staff employed by a retail food outlet.
A level 2 food safety training course can provide the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake a level 3 course, suitable for chefs and those in charge of food production.
Food safety is important. Getting it right can be easy with the right help.
To arrange an independent audit or suite of training, speak to us today.
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Why is food safety important?
That importance is recognised by several pieces of food health and safety legislation, such as the Food Safety Act 1990. Failure to comply with food safety laws could damage your organisation’s reputation and lead to legal action being taken against you.
Who is responsible for enforcing food safety laws?
Food safety laws are enforced by local authorities who can inspect your facilities at a reasonable time without giving prior notice.
How often your premises are inspected will likely depend on the results of your previous inspection and the type of business that you run. For example, a restaurant with a low-scoring hygiene record will likely be inspected more regularly than a highly compliant newsagent that stocks low-risk food items.
Action that a food safety officer could take includes:
- Sending a letter with improvement suggestions;
- Sending a letter outlining legally required action;
- Confiscating ingredients or equipment;
- Recommending legal action be taken against your organisation.
How often should you do food safety training?
While the basic principles of food hygiene rarely change, legislation evolves over time, requiring relevant organisations to keep up. Training arranged by Loch Wellness can help you to do exactly that.
By undertaking regular training, your employees can refresh their knowledge and bridge any gaps they might have.
