If you’ve scoffed at the pointless health and hygiene campaigns from the Food Standards Agency (FSA)  (you know the ones, they tell us to ‘eat healthier snacks, cook turkey correctly and hilariously, drink beverages other than beer for World Cup matches) you’ll probably be outraged to learn how much those campaigns cost us, the taxpayer.

Yesterday, the Telegraph reported that we’ve paid out the following astounding sums for these ridiculous marketing/awareness campaigns:

• £554,000 on Christmas Food Hygiene Campaign, which was designed to stop families undercooking turkeys

• £3.47 million pounds on the ‘salt awareness’ campaign, which included a quiz asking the following question, “too much salt is bad for your heart.  a. True b. False.”

• Plus over £3 million on further advertising and PR campaigns

Ouch.

You’ll probably be angered to learn that the FSA’s total budget was £152 million last year – that’s £152 million pounds of the taxpayers money that could have made a big impact on our society’s health in more beneficial ways.  What about subsidised gym memberships for the less fortunate?  Free cooking lessons for young Mums?  Activity days for the underprivileged?

But… Are the campaigns doing us good?

In defense of the campaigns, it looks like the salt campaign may have had a small effect.  Health Minister Anne Milton claims that recent urinary analyses have shown a significant fall in the population’s average daily salt intake since the campaign in 2008.  She also argues that nowadays, more people are checking food labels to see how much salt and fat they’re eating.  So this sounds positive, right?

But Tim Cox, of the Liberal Democrat group ‘Liberal Voice’ disagrees.  He’s campaigning for lower taxes and thinks that the £6 million + pounds spent on the campaigns is “scandalous.”

He states that:

“The British public do not need bureaucrats in Whitehall to tell them when to have dinner, or to advise them on what to eat during the World Cup. This is patronising, self-serving nonsense. The Coalition should cut all similar activities immediately.”

What do you think?

Are you happy to pay taxes that contribute to such initiatives, or do you simply think they’re a waste of time, effort and money?  Have you taken any of the adverts seriously, or do you think the FSA are well off the mark?  How would you invest the money to make Britain healthier?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Concerned about food hygiene? Ensure your team are up to speed – they can get a food hygiene certificate in just two hours online! Find out more: click here.

Do you love dining out, but don’t want to risk spending money on poor quality food?  Or perhaps you find it hard to choose between dishes at the restaurant?  Maybe you have a date this weekend and you need to pick a restaurant that will impress?

Then CampusFork will be your new best friend.

Today I’m telling you all about my new favourite website, CampusFork!

Campus What?

CampusFork.  It’s a photo search engine that lets you search through pictures of restaurant food.  You can browse through a library of photos of REAL dishes from restaurants.

You’ll be able to see what your meal will look like BEFORE you order! How cool is that?

You’ll be joining a food loving community:

You’ll get to meet hundreds of of food lovers who’re also passionate about delectable dishes, tasty treats and perfect puddings.  You’ll be able to make friends with food-sharing lovelies from all around the world!

Cooking inspiration!

PLUS CampusFork is GREAT for inspiration.  Not sure what to cook this weekend? Browse through the CampusFork pictures and become inspired.  Why don’t you recreate a menu for your dinner party, based on the top-rated dishes on the site?  That’s bound to create a menu that will impress your guests!

CampusFork is great for restaurant owners too!

If you own a restaurant, consider uploading your dishes to CampusFork.

You’ll be able to share your menu with thousands of users.  It’s a great, affordable marketing trick, which allows you to appeal to potential customers and entice them to dine in your establishment!

Tips for taking the best food photos:

• Consider hiring a professional photographer to take pictures of your dishes.  They’ll give your restaurant the ‘the edge’ over others on the site.
• If you can’t afford a professional, try to find a friend who is an amateur photographer with a good quality DSLR camera.  Offer your friend a free meal in exchange for some top pictures.
• Ask your best chef prepare the food and remember: presentation is key!
• Shoot your pictures in a light and airy room and remove any potentially distracting images from the background.
• Only use your best crockery, cutlery and tablewear.

It’s like hot or not…but for food!

Users are able to rate dishes with CampusFork’s star system, so one of your dishes could make the ‘popular’ list.  PLUS something from your menu may even end up FEATURED on the site’s homepage.  So prepare to stock up on ingredients and welcome your new customers!

Signing up made easy -

Since June, CampusFork has allowed users to sign in with Facebook ID.  How easy is that?  Just click the Facebook button, sign in and get going!

If you’re a restaurateur, you may wish to ensure your team are fully trained in food hygiene.  You can get a food hygiene certificate in as little as two hours by visiting our website: click here.

[reblogged from wordpress]

  Your kitchen is home to a great deal of potential hazards.  Hundreds of accidents are just waiting to happen and you should always keep safety at the forefront of your mind; this is why people in the catering industry will go away for food safety training.

  Here are just a few of the dangers to watch out for in the kitchen…

• Handles on Pans.

If you are using saucepans, then DO NOT leave the handles sticking out!  It only takes a split second to knock something off your cooker, but you could end up being scarred for the rest of your life!

• Small Children.

No-one should need to be told about this!  A kitchen is the most dangerous place in any home and it is the last place for a small child!!!  There are so many hazards for toddlers in a kitchen, that it would be impossible to list them all here.

• Oven Gloves.

The whole purpose of using oven gloves is so that you can move piping hot dishes safely.  If your gloves are beginning to look a little worse for wear then replace them!  This could help to prevent a nasty mishap.

• Pets.

Animals should never be allowed into an environment where food is being prepared.  Not only is it totally unhygienic, but it is also downright dangerous.  Cats and dogs have an annoying habit of rubbing around your legs and this presents a constant tripping hazard!

• Clear Workspaces.

Clutter is not a good thing in a kitchen and it can also cause accidents.  If something is hot and you need to put it down quickly, then you won’t have time to move a load of mess!  Always clean up after yourself when you are working in a kitchen.

[reblogged from zimbio]

  If you are thinking about a change of career, then you cannot go far wrong with catering.  There are some very good reasons to give the catering industry some serious thought and here are three of the best ones -

 1.       Job Security.

The past year or so has been a scary reminder for us all of how few jobs are actually safe.  But catering is a necessary industry.  People will always want meals, so there will always be chefs.

Okay, so restaurants may close down from time to time, but others will soon spring up in their place.

 2.       A Personal Challenge.

One of the best things about cookery is there will always be something new to learn!  Just like everything else, it will be necessary to work your way up from the bottom.  You will start off by training in basic food hygiene and straightforward recipes.  After this, there are plenty of advanced courses to consider and you will learn how to create far more impressive dishes.

3.       A Large Variety of Careers.

Having a job in the catering industry could mean a number of different things…

There is cafe work, table waiting, cordon bleu cookery and even television opportunities!

Who knows?  You may even end up being the new Ainsley Harriot…

[reblogged from thesun]

  We all know about basic food hygiene (well, 99% of us do…), but it’s surprising how many people use the same dishcloth for weeks on end!

  It’s not rocket science, is it?  When you wash the dishes, you are removing bits of food.  And what does a lot of that stick to?  Yup, the dishcloth.  And if you don’t change it regularly, then it will harbour goodness knows how many germs!

  If you shop around, then you can buy washable cloths very cheaply.  These are great and you can bung them in the washing machine several times before they give up the ghost.  It’s a good idea to use a clean dishcloth every couple of days or they will just end up a haven for bacteria.

  Tea towels should also be changed regularly.  The most hygienic method of all is to allow your dishes to dry naturally.  But if you do insist on helping them along it is important to use a clean tea towel each time.

  So many germs can be got rid of by following these simple methods.

[reblogged from people.bu]

  What is it with the traditional clothing of a chef?  White is not really the most practical of colours for them to wear, surely?  I’d have thought that a darker colour would have been a more appropriate choice. 

  Think about it logically; they are working with food all day long.  Okay, so some of it is pretty solid, but there are always plenty of gooey sauces to contend with, not to mention custard or gravy. It is only going to be a matter of time before they get splashed with something messy; this is just inevitability.

  Have a close look at the next ‘celebrity chef’ that you see on television.  They always look so clean!  They must soak their clothes in bleach for a week at a time.  We all know how difficult it can be to remove splashes of curry or barbeque sauce! 

  At least it’s reassuring when you see a chef in a crisp white outfit.  If he has gone to the effort of wearing nice clean clothes, then his food hygiene knowledge must also be pretty good.  Maybe that’s the whole point of a chef dressing in white; it gives the customer peace of mind.

[reblogged from consolidatedrealty]

  A large part of being a successful cook is to know what pots and pans to use.  There are so many to choose from these days that it is not always easy to know which are best.  They will all have met food hygiene guidelines and each type claim to give you better results with your cooking!

  There are glass, ceramic, metal, and silicone ones on the market.  Some will be better suited for one particular food whilst others will be good ‘all rounders’.

  One of the best ways of deciding is to read the reviews of our top chefs.  They will tell you which are the best for cooking certain dishes and which ones to avoid altogether!  However, a lot of it will come down to basic choice.  What type of dishes or saucepans do you prefer to use?  We all have our own way of doing things and much of what you choose will be tied up with your own personal preference.

  It’s just the same as the type of cooker you are accustomed to; some people will swear by gas whilst others would rather they had electric.  A lot of it is simply down to you and what you are happiest with!

[reblogged from wolfescape]

  Training to be a chef will actually involve a lot of hard work.  Not only must you learn about basic food hygiene, but there are a variety of other skills to master as well.  It is certainly not something that you can just ‘do’. And when you are finally qualified and working within the catering industry there will always be plenty to do.  Bearing this in mind, most cooks will not feel like preparing the dinner when they get home!  This is where it is necessary to have an understanding partner…

  Maybe your professional chef will be willing to share a little of his/her knowledge.  Which are the easiest main dishes to prepare, how to make yummy cakes with coffee beans and other valuable tricks of the trade.  Mind you, they will probably want a little pampering in return… the chances are they will have had oodles of meals to cooks, several fussy customers and piles of washing up during their working day!

[reblogged from zazzle]

  The internet is a truly magic place because it just makes everything so easy to do!

  We all know about downloading music, movies or shopping online, but do you realise just how many qualifications can be gained by sitting in front of a computer?  And if you are an employer this is very good news indeed…

  Remember the time when staff training unleashed all kinds of other problems?  It effectively meant being short-staffed!  And this would have a worse effect on some industries than others.  If you were the owner of a cafe or restaurant then it could often mean that your other workers would be rushed off their feet.  But thankfully that has now changed.

  These days it is possible to do much of your necessary training online.  Merely sitting at a computer for a short time to get a food hygiene certificate has made life so much easier for numerous amounts of restaurants!  It all makes you wonder how anyone ever coped whilst staff went away for their training!

[reblogged from raglanplayers]

  It is a scientifically proven fact that too much inactivity leaves you feeling lousy.  Human beings are naturally active creatures, so if we do not get enough mental stimulation it will have a negative effect on our mood.  And not only will this cause us to feel miserable, but it can even bring about physical symptoms.  Lethargy, muscle wasting and weight gain are all direct results of inactivity.

   If you have ever had a period of unemployment, then you will know how easy it is to just not bother.  You can soon convince yourself that it is pointless to look around for work and better to sit around watching the TV instead.  But this is a vicious circle; the more you mope around not bothering, the harder it will become to make an effort.

   We should never give up on ourselves, even if we have lost a good job.  And if there isn’t anything to apply for, then it can be a great time to get some additional training under your belt.  Going off to college and completing a joinery, plastering or food hygiene course will keep you mentally active and it will also make you feel far more positive!