PLAY IT SAFE
standards to slip, but these slips are even easier to prevent
With all of the stress surrounding the games its easy for
that are expected to spring up during the Games. We are aware that the Games will be taking place right across the country, not just in London. Therefore, our campaign will not only focus on the capital but on the UK towns and cities that will be hosting the myriad of cultural and sporting events planned this summer. But our work during the
Olympics is wider than an information-sharing campaign. We are implementing a range of practical measures to protect consumers from food safety problems. We’re running a food safety coaching programme for food business operators in need of improvement, nominated by their local authority. We are also working on our incident control plans with the Health Protection Agency, and have carried out simulated exercises involving local authorities and other organisations. We are supporting local
“It is the responsibility of all food businesses to meet the required standards.”
authorities to ensure food safety compliance in several ways, for example by providing training for new food safety officers, and refresher food safety audit courses for existing environmental health officers. We are providing extra food sampling equipment and bulk storage arrangements for unfit food seized from food businesses. Furthermore, we are working to ensure the safety of products entering the supply chain from smaller suppliers, who will provide food to the contract caterers within the Olympic venues. You may ask why we are
giving food businesses extra attention over the next few months. Surely food safety should be a year-round priority? We recognise that the Games bring special challenges for food suppliers. Ensuring the highest possible level of compliance continues to be a priority, but it will be even more important than usual during the Olympics. Risks to food safety will be heightened because of the volume of food that will be bought and sold. That’s why additional inspections by enforcement officers will provide the reassurances that standards achieved will protect the public. I recently visited a restaurant
in one of the London Olympic boroughs. The manager and staff have pulled out all the stops to be the best they can be in
FMCGNews.co.uk | FMCG News | 25
time for the Games. They’ve made food hygiene a priority and were thrilled to achieve a top rating in a recent inspection. They know that sharing this news with customers and potential customers will encourage more business, helping them to turn good food hygiene into good profits. Here are my top tips for other
businesses: • Keep up to date with relevant FSA information during the coming months. The best way to do this is through the website at
www.food.gov.uk/olympics and through the dedicated Twitter feed @playitsafefood; • Find out about potential road closures or traffic restrictions that might have an impact on supplier deliveries to ensure your storage facilities can meet any challenges; • Be prepared for an inspection. There will be more food hygiene inspections over the coming months so don’t cut corners. Keep food safety at the heart of everything you do. It is the responsibility of all
food businesses to meet the required standards. If businesses and the FSA work together over this period, we expect the incident rate to be very low.
The Food Standard's Agency will be carrying out inspections right across the Games so make sure your business is prepared by performing regular checks of your own
However, those businesses that have fallen short of the minimum requirements will be given the opportunity to comply with food hygiene regulations. Enforcement officers have a responsibility to consumers and will take tough measures if they believe the public is at risk. Here at the FSA, we believe
that the Games are about celebrating everything the UK has to offer. By focusing on food safety for London 2012, we can also create a legacy for safe food for the future. We are working hard to ensure London 2012 sets a positive example, learning from the lessons of previous Games where athletes have been taken ill with food- borne illness (such as during the last Games in Beijing and at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi). As a nation, we know we have
a huge range of fantastic food to showcase to Games visitors, and we want to ensure that businesses from all parts of the food supply chain can be proud to say that everything they sell is of the highest quality. For all of us it will be a summer to remember and together we can ensure that this is the case for all the right reasons.
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