Knowledge – from The Safer Food Group
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What is glycerol and is it safe to consume?
What is glycerol? Glycerol is an ingredient that is added to some food and drink, to keep products moist, preserve them, to change their texture or to sweeten them. Glycerin (or glycerine) is a very closely related ingredient. It is also widely used in pharmaceuticals – for instance in cough syrups and topical treatments such…
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What are ‘scores on the doors’?
…and how do I get a 5 star food hygiene rating? Otherwise known as The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (or Food Hygiene Information Scheme in Scotland), scores on the doors are the green stickers you see in the windows and doors of many food establishments throughout the UK. Similar schemes trialled in countries including the…
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Use-by dates and Best Before dates
What is the difference between a Use-by date and a Best Before date? In simple terms, a use by date tells you whether a food should be safe to eat, while a best before date tells you about a food’s quality. Use by dates appear on foods that are most likely to perish quickly, and cause…
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Managing allergies with vegan food
Out of the 14 allergens, eggs, fish, milk, crustaceans and molluscs are animal-based and you may not therefore expect to find them in vegan foods. However, as it currently stands, food regulations in the UK do not demand food manufacturers to ensure any foods labelled as vegan are completely free from traces of animal proteins.…
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A gluten-free Christmas: Understanding and Catering for Coeliac Disease
Following a discussion on This Morning on Tuesday, the topic of catering for individuals with coeliac disease during the festive season has gained significant attention – and not all for the right reasons. Whether you’re cooking for your loved ones at Christmas, or working in a professional setting, catering for those with dietary requirements is…
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The Safer Food Group’s Guide to Early Years Catering
Why is food hygiene and safety important for Early Years practitioners? It is important to serve safe, hygienic food to everyone – but in early years settings, it is especially important to ensure little bodies are protected and nourished, and immune and digestive systems can develop safely. Having an awareness of food borne illness and…
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Do I need to register with the ICO?
The ICO, or Information Commissioner’s Office, oversees the safe handling of personal data within companies. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, any organisation that processes personal information must register with the ICO. While failure to do so is a criminal offence, some organisations may be exempt and may not need to register or ‘notify’ the…
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Calorie menu labelling – our free guide
What does your food business need to do to meet April 2022 calorie labelling regulations? The government has announced that calories will be labelled on menus and food labels in certain ‘out-of-home food businesses’ from April 2022. Out of home refers to business that prepare food for immediate consumption by its customers, such as cafes,…
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Are coloured chopping boards a thing of the past?
Red for meat, white for bread, green for vegetables…. or is it yellow? Or is that for cooked meat? Coloured chopping boards can be a great way of reducing cross contamination but they depend on everyone remembering the system and sticking to it. The principle behind coloured chopping boards is that foods that run the…
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