Member Advice


Here comes the Summer - managing seasonal risks


As the weather gets warmer, food poisoning cases increase in the UK, especially those caused by Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria bacteria. This has been the case for many years, with experts putting forward reasons such as holiday makers bringing it back after foreign travel, cross-contamination on the barbecue, and fridges not working properly in hot kitchens.


Although you cannot control how your customers manage food safety risks in their homes, Environmental Health inspections are on the increase, so we are advising members to make sure that they take a fresh look at how they are controlling seasonal risks in their shops.


Seasonal product ranges


Introducing new products such as marinated barbecue ranges for the summer requires careful planning. The risk of hidden allergens in foods has been exacerbated this year by difficulties in the supply chain. This has resulted in suppliers changing ingredients in their products and making more substitutes on delivery.


Make sure that you review your allergen charts so that your full product range is covered, review the information against up- to-date ingredient specifications or product labels, and ask your suppliers to confirm in writing that they will notify you if ingredients change. Surprisingly there is no legal requirement for them to do this, but this is essential if you are to be able to manage the risks from hidden allergens.


If you are pre-packing foods on site, remember that with the advent of Natasha’s Law you now need to include a full ingredients list with allergens highlighted. Although there is not a legal requirement to include storage or usage instructions on the label, given the warm weather and the lack of understanding amongst some customers of how to store and safely barbecue meats, this is a good idea. Alternatively, you might want to devise a safe barbecuing leaflet to hand out with purchases and promote your business at the same time.


Flying insects


Flies and wasps can become particularly problematic in the summer months. Keeping the front doors to the shop open to reduce the shop temperature and increase ventilation to mitigate COVID-19 risks may be necessary but will increase the likelihood of problems.


Prepare for this by ensuring that you have sufficient EFKs (electronic fly killers), that they are working properly, and are located in appropriate places. Take your pest controllers advice on this but bear in mind that locating them next to windows will be less effective than in dark areas as they are attracted to light, so will move towards the window rather than the EFK. The light bulbs in the EFKs also need to be replaced at least annually if they are to continue to attract flies. If you are purchasing additional EFKs, now would be a good time to look into the sticky board varieties that reduce the risk of flies being zapped from the machine and landing on your produce.


Cold storage temperatures


As the shop temperatures increases, your fridges will need to work harder to keep product at safe temperatures. Environmental Health Officers will focus on testing food temperatures in open cabinets where the likelihood of equipment failure is higher. They will also look carefully at how you keep the time that any high-risk products are displayed at ambient to a minimum.


It is a good idea to schedule routine servicing of your cold storage equipment prior to Summer to make sure that it is operating at optimum. You should also adjust equipment temperature dials daily in according with the weather forecast. With current high energy prices, keeping foods too cold should also be avoided.


If the shelf-lives that you are applying to any of your products are based on them being held at below 3°C (e.g. vacuum-packed fresh meats being given more than 13 days) you will need to shorten this if your equipment is not able to work as effectively.


Further information and assistance


Melissa Thompson, Managing Director of Safer Food Scores (SFS), is a Chartered Environmental Health Officer and specialist adviser to the NCB. Melissa worked in environmental health enforcement for 13 years managing a team responsible for food safety and health and safety in the borough’s 1000+ food businesses. For the last 16 years she has worked in the private sector assisting companies in the food industry to comply with food hygiene and health and safety legislation. Melissa manages a team of consultants, auditors and trainers.


NCB partner with SFS to provide specialist advice to members. If any member needs advice on food labelling, food hygiene or health and safety legislation, they are there to help. Simply email head office at info@ nationalcraftbutchers.co.uk or call on 01892 541412 to arrange.


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