Our team of food safety experts have developed a good resource of answers to some common questions asked by our customers. If you have a question on workplace compliance, please email us at info@assurityconsulting.co.uk
Food Safety FAQs
Acrylamide is a chemical substance produced from cooking (baking, frying, grilling, roasting and toasting) starchy foods at high temperatures (above 120°C). Foods which acrylamide can be found in include chips, crisps, cakes, biscuits and cereals. There are concerns that acrylamide in the diet causes cancer in humans and therefore the amount of acrylamide in our diets needs to be reduced as a precaution. The management of acrylamide needs to be documented within your food safety management system to demonstrate the risk from this substance has been considered and is being managed.
Some food businesses chose to document control measures within their Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), whilst others chose to have a separate policy – either is acceptable. You need to make sure accurate information is available on request if a customer raises an allergen query relating to any of the 14 allergens relating to your menu. With regard to practical allergen management in the kitchen, this needs to reflect the documented controls and should be practical and achievable to keep the food safe from delivery to service.
To effectively manage your food safety and catering, it needs to be considered from the supplier and facilities perspective, because even if your catering is contracted out, it is ultimately you who is responsible.
Yes, your contract caterer is performing audits of their systems and performance, but how are you satisfying yourself of their effectiveness? When the local authority visit they are going to want to know that what is in place is safe and being well managed, shouldn’t you be auditing for that too?
We have the expertise to assess these areas. Our range of services will challenge where you are, and highlight any gaps in your management. We can also support you during visits from Environmental Health Practitioners.
Where you are providing food services, high standards of hygiene in the preparation and delivery of that food is of paramount importance. A food safety audit would provide the ideal grounding to challenge your current position and provide an action plan to get on track.
Assurity Consulting
Let us help you to take care of your workplace compliance, in a cost effective and clear manner, so allowing you to focus on developing your core activities. Please contact us for a detailed, confidential and without-obligation discussion of your requirements.
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