The Insurer’s Fire Research Strategy Scheme (InFiReS) has published a new food industry Code of Practice on Fire Risk Minimisation. The code has the support of the UK insurance industry and has been published in association with the Association of Insurers and Risk managers in Commerce (AIRMIC) and the Food Panels Group (FIPG).

An update of the previous FIPG guidance published in 2003, the new code has been designed to provide advice across all sectors of the food industry and aims to establish a generic property-loss control standard that companies can aspire to in order to keep fire damage to a minimum. The FIPG represents a wide consortium of trade associations in the food manufacturing, storage and distribution sectors led by the Chilled Food Association (CFA).

Fire damage continues to be a major issue for the food manufacture, storage and distribution industries in the UK, and individual companies are advised to take the approach indicated in the new code to ensure that they are fully compliant with legislative requirements. The code also provides guidance on fire risk minimisation in both new and existing structures, which is required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

“CFA was instrumental in developing the original FIPG guidance which was prepared to address the problems experienced by the food industry in obtaining fire insurance,” said Kaarin Goodburn, secretary general at the CFA. “We welcome and endorse this new publication which has full Code of Practice status and is a milestone in having the support of the UK insurance industry.”