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The latest news from Norman Gentry Consulting
New and updated training qualifications
Changes to Food Safety legislation
Changes to UK Food Safety Legislation in 2006
- What changes?
- What about training?
- Who will it affect?
- What do I have to do?
- What advice is available from Norman Gentry Consulting?
What changes?
Food safety legislation changes on 1st January 2006. Regulation 852/2004 (EC) of the European Parliament and Council on the Hygiene of Food Stuffs will apply to all food businesses except primary producers. The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 also come into force.
On 29 April 2004 The European Parliament and of the Council issued Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs.
Article 5 states that: Food business operators shall put into place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure based on the principles of hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP). The HACCP principles referred to above consist of the following:
- Identifying any hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels
- Identifying the critical control points at the step or steps at which control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard or to reduce it to acceptable levels
- Establishing critical limits at critical control points that separate acceptability from unacceptability for the prevention, elimination or reduction of identified hazards
- Establishing and implementing effective monitoring procedures at critical control points
- Establishing corrective actions when monitoring indicates that a critical control point is not under control
- Establishing procedures, which shall be carried out regularly, to verify that the measures outlined in the above paragraphs
- Establishing documents and records commensurate with the nature and size of the food business to demonstrate the effective application of the measures outlined in the above paragraphs.
When any modification is made in the product, process, or any step, food business operators shall review the procedure and make the necessary changes to it.
[Back to top]What about training?
Chapter XII states that food business operators are to ensure that: "food handlers are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity; that those responsible for the development and maintenance of the procedure referred to in Article 5 (1) of the Regulation or for the operation of relevant guides have received adequate training in the application of the HACCP principles, and compliance with any requirement of national law concerning training programmes for persons working in certain food sectors."
Managers who are responsible for maintaining a food safety management system will require adequate training to enable them to carry out the statutory requirement
The Food Standards Agency, Learning and Skills Council, Qualification and Curriculum Authority, together with the examination bodies are preparing the framework for a new set of food safety qualifications for 2006. Familiar titles such as the Foundation Certificate in Food Hygiene and Intermediate Certificate in Food Safety will be changing to help train managers and other staff in the essentials of Food Safety Management Systems (including safe practices with regards to cleaning, chilling, cooking and cross-contamination).
Also involved is the new Sector Skills Council for the Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism Industry - People 1st
[Back to top]Who will it affect?
No matter what the nature or size of the business, owners will have to ensure that they have a sound food safety management system in place.
[Back to top]What do I have to do?
From 1 January 2006 when the EU Regulations become UK law then it will be responsibilities of owners of food businesses to ensure that they comply with them.
Guidance is available from Norman Gentry Consulting or your local authority environmental health department.
[Back to top]What advice is available from Norman Gentry Consulting?
Norman Gentry Consulting can help you implement the "Safer Food Better Business" or "Catersafe" toolkits or our own toolkit to help small catering businesses demonstrate that they have a documented food safety management system based on the principles of hazard analysis critical control points.
Visit the following for more details about a our toolkit designed to help small catering businesses comply with the legislation
Safer Food Better Business will take you approximately just one minute a day to complete the diary. Your business and customers will benefit from this valuable management support tool.
New Codes of Practice and Guidance notes will be produced for enforcement officers by the Agency in October 2006. Industry guides will be produced by industry organisations and published during early 2006.
[Back to top]New food safety qualifications in 2006-2008
- Why the new qualifications?
- CIEH Level 2 Award in Hygiene Awareness
- CIEH Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering
Why the new qualifications?
The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006, come into force on 1 January 2006. They supersede the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995. Owners of businesses will be required to develop food safety management procedures based on the principles of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points.
CIEH Level 2 Award in Hygiene Awareness
For anyone working in a health and/or social care setting. Provides information about basic infection control. Covers cleaning, hazards and personal hygiene. Half -day programme.
Launch date mid-2006.
[Back to top]CIEH Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering
This course will teach you to supervise and train others in the field of food safety in catering.
This is a three-day course aimed at those with supervisory responsibility.
You will need to complete an assignment and multiple-choice paper as part of this course.
Launch date to be confirmed.
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