The horse meat scandal was all over the news in the past couple of years, and the first prosecution has recently been brought by the Food Standards Agency. A slaughterhouse owner from West Yorkshire was fined £8000 and given a suspended prison sentence.
Food legislation places a responsibility on all food business to sell safe food and to be accurate and honest when describing what the food contains. Labelling and traceability are both important and potentially complicated legal obligations placed on food businesses. Failure to get this right on the part of the food business and they could face similar punishment as the Yorkshire slaughterhouse owner.
Using only approved suppliers is an effective way for a food business to ensure they know what they are purchasing and what ingredients they are putting into the dishes on their menu. This will help the business to comply with legal requirements and help to provide a robust due diligence defence.
Part of approving a supplier should be auditing the supplier’s business. Assessing the Food Safety Management System, the HACPP documentation, training provision, and the condition of the premises should all be included in the audit process aimed at checking your suppliers are reputable and able to provide safe, quality food to your kitchen.
Shieldyourself have a team of highly qualified and experienced Environmental Health Practitioners who are able to carry out a third part audit of all food producers in your supply chain. Management of your suppliers approval paperwork can also be managed through our award winning Compliance Centre software, featuring the Supplier App. Approving your suppliers, has never been easier. Contact our team for more information.
