Hygiene for Management
A text for food safety
courses
The food safety scares in
the late 1980s and 1990s relating to salmonella in eggs, listeria, campylobacter, BSE, E.
coli 0157, glass in food and the alleged increases in food poisoning from commercial food
businesses resulted in extensive new legislation and the establishment of the Food
Standards Agency. The continued media interest has ensured that food safety remains high
on the political agenda and every day it seems that new horror stories are created to fuel
public anxiety.
Given that food poisoning
outbreaks are preventable and low-dose organisms such as L coli 0157 have very serious
consequences, it is imperative that standards off food hygiene continue to be improved.
However, proposed solutions must be practical, proportionate and based on sound scientific
evidence. Knee-jerk reactions such as slaughtering chickens in the UK because of high
levels of salmonella in eggs and then importing eggs with greater levels of salmonella,
imposing the full seven principles of HACCP on all food premises and increasing the
emphasis on Paperwork, records and certification are not cost-ineffective solutions.
The Food Standard! Agency is
committed to improving standards off food safety and reducing levels off food borne
illness. This will only be achieved if we have policies based on scientific facts,
effective communication and the timely dissemination of information from all central
bodies involved in food safety to food authorities, food safety trainers, and consultants
and, most importantly.to all food businesses.
Unsubstantiated headlines
such as°over4 million people get food poisoning from restaurants and takeaways each
year"may raise awareness but may focus attention in the wrong place.
The latest edition of
Hygiene for Management is intended to provide managers within the food industry,
enforcement officers, trainers and consultants with the latest information, statistics and
food safety advice to enable them to contribute to the improvement of standards and the
reduction off food borne illness.
414 pages