This week the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) announced that food businesses are cutting back on food safety and hygiene training, possibly to the detriment of the general public’s health.

The CIEH reported the shocking findings after sending a survey out to over 5,000 food safety trainers and training centres.

The survey was sent out to all CIEH trainers during the fist week of August 2010.

Over half of food safety trainers thought that business was being impacted by the poor economic climate, while 70% of food safety trainers noted that it was likely to be ‘cost cutting’ measures that have caused businesses to stop investing in training.

The CIEH are calling this situation a potential ‘food poisoning time bomb’; they’re worried that the economic downturn, cost saving measures and cuts in expenditure are going to lead to the public being put at risk as it’s more likely that poor food hygiene could lead to outbreaks of food poisoning.

David Kidney of the CIEH says:

“In extreme cases failure to comply with food safety legislation can even result in a prison sentence and/or being prohibited from running a food business in future. In over a quarter of the prosecutions which have led to the business manager being prohibited since January 2009, failure to comply with the legislation on instruction and/or training was one of the offenses.”

If you’re thinking of cutting your expenditure and sacrificing food training certificates for your staff, you should know that there are many cost-effective training programs available online.

The CIEH are reporting that the growth of online food safety training solutions has recently risen, and we’re projecting that this is related to the cost cutting measures!

The CIEH gives some great advice though, if you’re thinking of purchasing food hygiene training online, you should listen to it!

“Make sure the course you choose is fit for your purpose and that you are not wasting your precious resources on cowboy companies.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

Food Hygiene Training

If you’d like affordable, accredited food hygiene training, contact us today.  We even offer discounts on multiple training courses, so all of your staff can hold a Basic Food Hygiene Certificate.

Last week the Food Standard’s Agency wrote to all the local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to inform them of a brand new launch this autumn.

From the 1st of October the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) will be rolled out by all 22 local authorities in Wales and by many ‘early adopter’ local authorities in the South West, Easy and South East in England too.

The new scheme has been re-branded for the launch, which aims to make the food hygiene ratings system easier for consumers to use.  It’s been reported that the old ‘star’ rating has gone and a numerical scale will take its place.

Catriona Steward, Head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team said:

“We are very pleased with the look and feel that the new branding gives to the scheme as it makes it easy for consumers to see at a glance what the hygiene rating is.”

The new ratings scheme is a welcomed development for most restaurant and cafe owners, who find the current service confuses consumers.

The Swindon Reporter last week quoted Phil Saunter calling the system “confusing”:

“Customers thought it had something to do with the quality of the food whereas it was just about how clean the premises were.  You had Michelin starred places only getting two stars because they didn’t keep their fridge temperature records properly, but McDonald’s getting five stars for instance. “

But Mr Saunter also thinks the total re-branding is a little unnecessary:

“They are also going to be changing all the branding, signs and letterhead, which sounds to me like a complete waste of money, especially when the Government announced that it is going to scrap the FSA.”

Swindon isn’t one of the early adopters of the new scheme and Phil Thomas, head of commercial regulation at Swindon Council, said:

“We will explore this option further and see if it is something we wish to adopt in Swindon when clearer proposals have been presented by the FSA.”

What do you think?

Are you happy the FSA are re-launching the scheme or do you think it’s just a waste of time and money?

Let us know in the comments!

Food Hygiene Certificates:

If you own a restaurant or cafe, you may wish to ensure your team are fully trained so your own establishment scores highly on the ‘Scores on the Doors’ scheme.  You can get a food hygiene certificate in as little as two hours by visiting our website: click here.

Ever wondered if the dingy restaurant in the village is OK to eat at, or if the dodgy-looking takeaway down the road has good food hygiene standards?

Perhaps you’re a worried Mum, concerned about your kid’s school dinner hall?  Is it clean?  Are the dinner ladies adhering to food hygiene practices?

Well now you can find out if those places are rat-ridden holes or clean gleaming establishments with just a few clicks of the mouse.

How?  By checking out this website: it allows you to find the cleanest, most hygienic places to eat in your area:

http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk

About ‘Scores on the Doors’:

Scores on the Doors lets you and I see businesses’ and schools’ hygiene ratings by searching through its online database.

You can check the hygiene ratings for any takeaways, pubs, clubs, schools, restaurants and food halls in your area (as long as your council is one of the 200 participating in this scheme!)

You can even search for hygiene ratings in different cities too, perfect if you’re out for the day or visiting friends!

You’ll be able to find out:

• If your kid’s school kitchen is hygienic
• If local restaurants boast top standards
• Which eateries were only given average marks
• Where to avoid (unless you want food poisoning!)

Choose hygienic places to eat:

When you learn that there were over 27,000 cases of food poisoning reported in England and Wales during 2008, it’s not surprising that you’re looking for somewhere clean and hygienic to eat, to avoid becoming sick.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health is certain that there could be up to an astonishing 40,000 cases left unreported in addition to that figure.  (See: http://bit.ly/a9OMIb)  That really is quite a shocking amount of food poisoning!

So we’re happy to finally find a website, which lets us choose hygienic places to take our friends and family to eat.  It means we can avoid the restaurants, cafes and burger vans that have very poor hygienic standards.

Instead, we can reward high-rating businesses with our custom as a ‘thank you’ for making the extra effort to score top marks.

We love the transparency of this scheme!

Because the scores are placed online for everybody to see, businesses are encouraged to improve their food hygiene standards, and to keep their marks high to encourage new custom.

All kitchen visits are unannounced:

To ensure businesses aren’t gaming the system by only having a tidy up before an inspection, the officers call in unannounced.  They check that food is being cooked safely following all the correct procedures and food storage, food preparation and cleanliness are checked also.

Check out food hygiene ratings on the go!

If you’re lucky enough to own an iPhone, you can download a fabulous app from Scores on the Doors, which uses augmented reality to give you restaurant scores on the move.

If you have Radar on your iPhone, you can simply point your iPhone at any listed food business to see how many stars it has!

The app can also pick up your location and list eateries close to you, complete with scores!

Perfect if you’re walking around in a busy, unfamiliar city!  This app will ensure you only spend money in the cleanest, most hygienic eateries!

Even better:  This app is free and it’s compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Do you own a food business?

Make sure your chefs are up to standard:

Don’t risk a low grade on your food hygiene inspection, ensure your kitchen staff are fully trained in the latest food handling procedures today!

Get your food hygiene certificate online:

• It’s quick: I’ll take under two hours
• It’s accredited by the CPD
• Certificates are posted the next working day
• This training meets UK/EU legal requirements

Find out more by clicking 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 rainharvest]

  We use our hands for almost everything that we do; eating, writing, gardening, woodwork, driving, decorating and going to the loo…  So it isn’t difficult to understand why it is important to keep them clean, is it?

  When you are training to be a chef, the very first thing that you will be taught about is cleanliness.  Washing your hands is the most basic part of all when it comes to basic food hygiene!  You would think that hand washing was so blatantly obvious that it would be totally unnecessary to teach people about it. ..

  But, it isn’t just those in the catering industry who should have clean hands; it is every one of us!  Because we come into contact with so many different surfaces each day, we can spread countless germs if our hands are not kept clean.  You would be surprised at just how many people go to the toilet and come back out without washing their hands. Urk! It’s no wonder there are so many nasty illnesses out there!

[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!