Hygiene

This year's Food Safety Briefing covered a wide range of areas from data sharing to greenwashing to hygienic design. Credit: Getty/VectorMine

Short read

What’s happening in UK food safety?

By Bethan Grylls

In a recent webinar, Food Manufacture brought together four leaders from industry to discuss the latest tools and systems emerging to help mitigate against our biggest food safety challenges. Here’s the highlights…

Don't miss this year's Food Safety Briefing. Credit: Getty/MiguelMalo

News

Don’t miss our 2023 Food Safety Briefing

By Bethan Grylls

This year’s Food Safety Briefing theme is science and data – with four special guest experts from Mars Global Food Safety Center, the Food Standards Agency, Unibloc, and Imprint Analytics joining us to share their knowledge.

Tim Dixon at Project Tenzing

Video

Building an efficient food factory

By Bethan Grylls

July saw Food Manufacture donning high-vis and hard hats, as the team toured the latest Cook Food’s kitchen under construction.

Top tips for prolonging the life of the machinery you rely on day in, day out. Credit: Getty / Monty_Rakus

Long read

Getting the most of out your plant machinery

By Bethan Grylls

Food Manufacture hears from several notable experts in machinery and maintenance to understand how food producers can avoid downtime as a result of machine failure.

Food hygiene, safety and cleaning feature 2022

Long read

Hygiene, safety and cleaning innovations in food and drink

By Gwen Ridler

As a food or drink manufacturer, cleaning your equipment is an essential part of the production process – it’s a no-brainer really. But every second spent shutting down a line to clean it, is a second of downtime that most businesses can ill afford.

An illegal meat firm has been fined £150k for hygiene offences

Illegal meat trader fined £150k for hygiene offences

By Gwen Ridler

A Wiltshire-based meat trader has been fined more than £150k and given a custodial sentence after pleading guilty for placing unfit meat on the market and other associated hygiene offences.

SURFACE13 is designed to reduce the load of harmful microbes on surfaces

New antimicrobial topcoat to tackle COVID-19

By Gwen Ridler

Specialist coating supplier Surface Finishing UK has developed a clear antimicrobial topcoat designed to reduce the load of harmful microbes on surfaces – including SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The FSA said 2 Sisters promptly resolved issues

FSA investigation found ‘process weaknesses’ at 2 Sisters

By Michelle Perrett

A Food Standards Agency (FSA) investigation of 2 Sisters Food Group (2SFG) plants following the scandal which plagued the company at the end of last year found “several process weaknesses” and “regulatory failures”.

Failure of food handlers to wash their hands properly is a main way norovirus is spread

Food safety conference

Norovirus thrives on poor hand hygiene

By Rick Pendrous

Poor personal hygiene, and specifically the failure of food handlers to wash their hands properly, has been identified as one of the main sources for spreading norovirus – winter vomiting bug – in catering establishments, according to new research published...

Food factory workers ‘cutting corners’ risks safety

Exclusive

Workers ‘cutting corners’ threatens food safety

By Rick Pendrous

Pressure to meet tight production schedules is leading some food factory workers and the teams they work within to cut corners, putting food hygiene within those manufacturing sites in jeopardy, a new survey has revealed.

Grader offers accurate weighing of meat products

Weighing spotlight

Grader offers accurate weighing of meat products

By Rick Pendrous

Interfood Technology is an agent for Sparc Systems’ Maxi 420 modular grading system, which is said to ensure accurate weighing during fresh meat processing.

Penarth Bakery was fined £10,000 for food safety breaches

Penarth Bakery fined £10k for hygiene breaches

By Matt Atherton

A Glamorgan bakery was fined more than £10,000 for 36 food hygiene offences, including placing unfit food on the market, failure to protect food from contamination and failing to control rodents.

Asda apologised for dirty delivery crates

Asda apologises for dirty delivery crates

By Gwen Ridler

Asda has apologised for low levels of hygiene in its home delivery vans, after a BBC investigation found bacteria levels on some delivery crates to be “the equivalent to dirt levels of a kitchen floor”.

AMR could cause 10M deaths each year by 2050

FDF backs government work on antimicrobial resistance

By Matt Atherton

Food manufacturers have been urged to remain vigilant after a Food Standards Agency (FSA) report found almost 500M campylobacter-contaminated chickens were sold in 2014 that were resistant to at least one antibiotic.

Food firms should check their hand hygiene procedures after a supplier was fined £40,000

Health hazard risk from dermatitis, after £40k fine

By Noli Dinkovski

Food manufacturers have been encouraged to check their hand hygiene procedures after a supplier was fined £40,000 for failing to adequately protect an employee against contact dermatitis.

Ice pigging technology increases product recovery during chnageovers

Ice pigging reduces changeover waste

By Rick Pendrous

A novel hygienic ice pigging machine, expected to provide users with big savings on raw materials wasted during changeovers between piped products, has been launched for use in the food processing sector.

2 Sisters is discussing the Llangefni job cuts with Unite and local MP Albert Owen

2 Sisters Food Group job cuts illuminated

By Rod Addy

Plans to cut up to 300 jobs at 2 Sisters Food Group’s Llangefni chicken factory have been clarified by trades union Unite after a briefing involving managers and staff.

MRLs must be set at appropriate levels, says Goodburn

Time is running out for setting effective MRLs

By Nicholas Robinson

If the food industry does not act on the EU’s potential imposition of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for disinfectants soon, it will be too late, Chilled Food Association (CFA) director Kaarin Goodburn has warned.

2 Sisters: 'We are not complacent'

FSA: 2 Sisters plant did breach hygiene rules

By Rod Addy

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) admission that 2 Sisters Food Group’s Scunthorpe plant did breach hygiene rules, after clearing it, could damage the food industry’s attempts to restore consumer confidence after the horsemeat scandal.

2 Sisters insisted it had done nothing wrong

Chicken hygiene row intensifies, as Unite slams DH

By Michael Stones

The row over hygiene standards at poultry producers 2 Sisters Food Group and Faccenda has intensified, after Unite the union slammed health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s bid to allay public concern.

The uptake of robotics is becoming more widespread, as firms switch on their food safety benefits

Uptake increases as robots get tough for safer food

Increasing demand for food safety is boosting the uptake of robots, according to Fanuc. The company has developed its new four axis M-2iA pick-and-place delta style robot to withstand high pressure and temperature washdown.

Health officials have reassured consumers about the 'very low risk' associated with the discovery of the bacteria MRSA on a East Anglian poultry farm

Food safety watchdog reassures on MRSA meat risk

By Michael Stones

The food safety watchdog the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has reassured consumers about the “very low risk”, after the first case of the bacteria MRSA was discovered in turkey and chickens on an East Anglian farm.

The guide is designed to help food and drink manufacturers make informed decisions about compressed air

New guide to safe use of compressed air

By Rick Pendrous

A new practice guide for food and drink processors on the safe and efficient use of compressed air has been unveiled by the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS).Prepared with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standards, the guide is designed...

Bacteria testing to increase levels of contamination understanding

Bacteria testing minimises risk

Antimicrobial specialist BioCote has launched a bacteria-testing service to help organisations minimise risk by understanding levels of bacterial contamination at their premises.

Staff may break hygiene rules without realising

Culture shock

By Laurence Gibbons

Food industry hygiene culture is seriously awry, reports Laurence Gibbons

Environmental health officers spotted a robin in the bakery twice

Life ban for Portsmouth baker for mice infestation

By Lorraine Mullaney

A Portsmouth baker was fined £5,000 and banned from operating a food business in the UK after environmental health officers found a robin flying around his mice-infested premises.

The food factory of the future is likely to employ fewer people

'Keep the factory safe: take the people out'

By Rick Pendrous

Food factories of the future should keep people away from the manufacturing environment to reduce the risk of contamination by pathogen transfer by humans, according to a leading hygiene expert.

Watkinson wants SOFHT to improve the services it offers technical managers

SOFHT services

By Rick Pendrous

The new chair of the Society of Food Hygiene and Technology (SOFHT) shares her plans with Rick Pendrous

Where do you stand on whistleblowing? asks Food Manufacture's editor Rick Pendrous. Let us know by posting your views at the end of this article

Warning: there's a whistleblower nearby

By Rick Pendrous

Where do you stand on whistle blowing? Is it the brave David standing up against Goliath to report something that is essentially wrong? Or is it more to do with the aggrieved employee with an axe to grind who just wants to get his revenge on his line...

The outbreak of Salmonella Newport may be linked to water melons

Salmonella outbreak caused one death

By Freddie Dawson

A Salmonella Newport outbreak has affected 30 people in the UK, causing one confirmed death, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Spotlight

Chief executive Chris Ormrod will continue to head up the business. Credit: Cakesmiths Cakesmiths to become part of rebranded Onore Food Group The impacted batch of stuffing mix has now been taken out of circulation. Credit: Getty / DronG Tesco recalls stuffing mix because of possible presence of moths The Food and drink industry is the four fastest adopter of AI tech in the UK. Image: Getty, Da-Kuk Food industry fourth fastest adopter of AI tech in UK Cold store workers have previously suffered from serious injuries such as frostbite. Credit: Getty / bluecinema New guidance issued to protect food workers in extreme cold conditions The manufacturer installed solar panels at its facility as part of the project. Credit: Beacon Foods Beacon Foods completes £6m expansion project, installs 1,428 solar panels

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