Food safety and hygiene experts have joined forces to produce the long-awaited Industry Guide to Good Hygiene Practice: Catering 2016, which is recognised by the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland. This new guide for caterers will help businesses serve food that’s safe to eat.
Keeping up with the latest regulations on food safety can be an unwelcome extra burden for those working in the catering industry. But the consequences can be catastrophic if those preparing food and drink for large numbers of people get it wrong. However, it can be sometimes difficult to interpret what the law really means in practice.
That’s why the updated Industry Guide to compliance and best practice will be invaluable to anyone working in catering.
The new Industry Guide to Good Hygiene Practice: Catering 2016 is the first update to the guidelines for 20 years.
It has been put together by a team of food safety and risk experts from the British Hospitality Association. They have been working with the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, to revise this important guide.
Professor Lisa Ackerley, Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner and food expert for the BHA said: “This is about more than just complying with the law. We believe that constantly striving for improved standards can only be good for the reputation of the industry as whole. All catering businesses should familiarise themselves with this guide as soon as possible – nobody likes the adverse headlines that food safety can generate when it goes wrong. But it’s also in everyone’s interest that they try to keep raising their game to drive up the standards in the hospitality industry as a whole.”
FSA Chief Executive Catherine Brown said: “I welcome the publication of the BHA’s Catering Industry Guide, which is clear, easy to use, and based on the advice of BHA’s food safety experts. It’s vital that food businesses have systems in place to keep their customers safe, and the guide will provide caterers with practical advice on how to comply with their responsibilities under food hygiene legislation.”
Food Standards Scotland Chief Executive, Geoff Ogle, said: “The catering sector has an important part to play in protecting public health, through provision of safe food and in contributing to Scotland’s economy. Compliance is good for consumers and good for business, so we welcome the new Catering Industry Guide as a user-friendly tool to support businesses across the catering sector with practical advice on hygiene compliance.”
Jenny Morris, Head of The Institute of Food Safety Integrity and Protection said: “We have been waiting a long time for this essential Industry guide. It will be invaluable to both the catering industry and enforcement officers as it gives advice on what compliance with the law looks like. This will help greatly in building understanding of legal requirements and will promote industry good practice. So I would recommend that every catering business gets a copy and makes sure that they are following its advice in day to day operations.”
She added: “I expect it to be used extensively by local authorities and it may also prove extremely useful for any business that wants to improve its food hygiene rating score.”
To build a successful business, all caterers want and need to serve safe food. The guide gives advice and guidance to caterers on how to comply with their legal obligations under European and UK hygiene regulations.
But just as important are the suggestions the guide makes for best industry practice thus guiding the industry to achieving the highest standards.
The guide includes:
- Information to be taken into account by Local Authority enforcement officers when carrying out inspections of your business
- The requirements of “How to comply with the law”
- Guidance to achieve the top score in the respective national Hygiene Ratings Scheme
- Requirements for premises and equipment
- Food hygiene and safety procedures
- Food safety management procedures and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) systems
- Advice on training requirements for different levels of staff
- Best practice arrangements that businesses may choose to implement beyond the scope of the law
- Advice on how to comply with the allergen requirements of the Food Information for Consumers Regulation 2014
The guide will be available in hard copy (unit price £16 exc.VAT), as a downloadable PDF unit price (£10 exc.VAT) and the BHA will also be producing a unique interactive app containing the guide with search by topics.
Pre-order your copy of the Guide
The guide will be available following its official launch on Monday 11 July. To pre-order your copy of the Guide, or to attend the launch, please register on the BHA website. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and Acoura will also be selling the hard copy guide on behalf of the BHA.
Invitation to the VIP launch of the Guide
Join us for the prestigious launch of the Guide at the Royal Air Force Club in London, on Monday 11th July, from 2.00pm-3.30pm. Speakers include Catherine Brown, CEO at the Food Standards Agency; David Travers QC; Darryl Thomson, Head of Safety, Mitchells & Butlers; Robert Kitchen, Head of Safety & QA, Nando’s; and Dr Lisa Ackerley, Food Adviser, BHA.
Tags: BHA, british hospitality association
