VEGETABLES – BEST SERVED WASHED

This month, The Food Standards Agency (FSA) launched a new campaign reminding people to wash raw vegetables to help minimise the risk of food poisoning.

Andrew Wadge, Chief Scientist at the FSA, said: ‘We commissioned research which looked at people’s attitudes towards food safety when preparing vegetables. This showed us that the perceived risk of food poisoning from vegetables was low, whereas most people questioned were more cautious when handling meat. There was a limited awareness that cross-contamination from vegetables to other foods was a food safety risk. The aim of this campaign is to help raise awareness of this risk.’

The campaign messages include:
• always wash hands thoroughly before and after handling raw food, including vegetables
• keep raw foods, including vegetables, separate from ready-to-eat foods
• use different chopping boards, knives and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods, or wash thoroughly in between preparing different foods
• unless packaging around vegetables says ‘ready-to-eat’ you must wash, peel or cook them before consuming

http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/vegcampaign.pdf

Earlier in the year, we updated you when new guidance was published to try and reduce the risk of cross contamination. Whilst this was more focused on contamination from raw meat products, the control measures remain the same:
• Identification of separate work areas, surfaces and equipment for raw and ready-to-eat food.
• Use of separate complex equipment, such as vacuum-packing machines, slicers, and mincers for raw and ready-to-eat food.
• Handwashing should be carried out using a recognised technique. Anti-bacterial gels must not be used instead of thorough handwashing.
• Disinfectants and sanitisers must meet officially recognised standards and should be used as instructed by the manufacturer.

As a food business, you must be able to demonstrate that you are complying with legislation, and this document is a guide on how to do that. EHOs will be looking in more detail at cross contamination issues on their inspections from now on, and we think this will have a big impact across the industry.

You can find the link to the full guidance here:
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/publication/ecoliguide0211.pdf

Cross contamination is a key aspect of food safety, and is included in the Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering. Make sure your staff are aware of the issues – contact Carol today to book a course on your premises.