ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is supporting the first ever World Food Safety Day (7th June), and is reminding retailers about their safety and hygiene responsibilities when selling food.
ACS has worked with Surrey/Bucks Trading Standards to develop comprehensive advice for members to help them understand the food safety and hygiene laws that apply to their business. The Food Safety and Hygiene guide provides essential guidance for retailers, including: managing food hygiene and safety risks, record keeping, food preparation and allergenic ingredients.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Thousands of convenience stores are increasing their range of food to go and freshly made products, and food safety is extremely important to every store selling food. ACS works with Trading Standards to provide Assured Advice on food safety, and we welcome this new guidance from the FSA providing clarity on recalls and withdrawals.
“We are pleased to be supporting the first ever World Food Safety Day and would encourage retailers to make themselves familiar with our assured advice and this new FSA guidance so that they can continue to ensure the safety of their customers.”
The new guidance from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) provides retailers with advice on food recalls and withdrawals. A withdrawal is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain before it has reached consumers. A recall is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain and consumers are advised to take appropriate action, for example, to return or dispose of the unsafe food.
Steve Wearne, Director of Science at the Food Standards Agency and Vice Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, said: “We are proud to be celebrating the first ever World Food Safety Day, it is great to have an international day to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks.
“Today is an opportunity to strengthen efforts to ensure the food we eat is safe. Food Safety is everyone’s business, whether you produce, process, sell or prepare food, then you have a role in keeping it safe.”
The guidance is available here: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-incidents-product-recalls-and-withdrawals
Sign up to the food alerts and allergy alerts, so you can be the first to hear if there is a recall. https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/subscribe
