New FSA guidance on preventing and responding to food scares will help smaller, independent retailers match the robust food safety practices of the major players in the grocery sector.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) yesterday released the guidance, which is designed specifically for small businesses. It draws heavily on the experience of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and its membership and has been developed by the FSA’s Food Incidents Taskforce, which includes the BRC, food industry, consumer groups and enforcement authorities.
It offers practical advice on how to prevent food scares by improving traceability and identifying and eliminating potential hazards. It also describes how to respond in the event of an incident.
Welcoming the document, BRC director general Kevin Hawkins said: “This guidance gives small retailers practical and simple-to-follow advice on how to avoid food scares. The big players in the grocery sector all have robust traceability systems in place and have dedicated resources to ensure they know where the food they are selling is coming from. This allows them to avoid food scares and respond effectively if any safety questions do arise. However, it can be difficult for small retailers, who can’t dedicate the same resources to the issue. This guidance will help by outlining in very simple terms the measures they should adopt.
“Retailers of all sizes need to take food safety extremely seriously. Any slip-ups damage the entire sector.”
The FSA’s Guidance - “Principles for preventing and responding to food incidents” - is available on the FSA website at www.food.gov.uk
