Food for Thought

When people ask me the provenance of my name, I explain how my father arrived from war-torn Poland (via neutral Sweden) in 1942, and was allowed to settle in the UK after the Second World War ended. Meeting a young Ukrainian woman here recently, made me proud and grateful for our record of accepting refugees from conflict. The current war – sorry: “special military operation” - in Ukraine has, amongst other things, exposed the effect of globalisation and the fragility of our food supply chains. We are now being warned that millions of the World’s poorest inhabitants risk starvation as wheat and other exports remain impounded in Ukraine. It is inevitable that starving people will turn to eating whatever fare they can find – no matter how inadequate the quality.  

World Food Safety Day 2022 - Safer Food, Better Health

Did you know that there are over 200 foodborne diseases infecting 1 in 10 people worldwide every year? These range from minor inconveniences (no pun intended) to life-threatening illnesses. Nor are such illnesses restricted to poor, developing countries. 177 Britons, mostly aged below 30, are known to have died from the BSE “mad cow” outbreak of 1995-2009. Stories of food poisonings, livestock plagues, contaminated or mislabelled ingredients, inadequate allergen warnings, and so forth, seem to be everyday news. The most recent to hit the headlines was an outbreak of salmonella linked to chocolate products from Belgium. Since the chocolate products involved Kinder eggs, most of the sufferers have been children under the age of five – with 101 cases reported by HM Government on 6th May. On 7th June 2022, the United Nations marked the fourth global World Food Safety Day to draw attention to and mobilise action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks and improve human health.  

Take the Right Precautions

All workplaces are vulnerable to food poisoning incidents – even if you offer no catering facilities of your own, and staff bring in/buy food from outside. As part of regular staff briefings on health & safety issues, you may therefore want to consider passing on some food hygiene tips that will keep your employees healthy – and at work. Whilst a whole industry has grown up to regulate food safety, let’s keep things simple with a few basics that must be applied whether you are a commercial kitchen or a private individual.  

The “four C’s” of Food Hygiene

· Cleaning - make sure hands, surfaces and equipment are clean before, during and after cooking. · Cooking - make sure food is cooked throughout to kill harmful bacteria. · Chilling - make sure foods are stored at the correct temperature and dated to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. · Avoiding cross-contamination - prevent the spread of bacteria to surfaces and ready-to-eat food.  

Food Standards Agency

It’s a complex subject, and UK Government’s Food Standards Agency provides advice to consumers and businesses.  

Contact Us

Arinite clients appreciate we provide practical, no-nonsense advice about what you need to do to establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment. Our team of health and safety consultants take pride in keeping health and safety simple. If you need to call upon our expert assistance, or just for an informal chat, please call our office on 0207 947 9581, or enquire through our website. Jan Mirkowski