Today marks a special occasion, for it is the first ever World Food Safety Day! As a Food Standards Agency campaign partner here at Induction Junction, we are delighted to be supporting alongside the FSA on this national food safety initiative that will focus on the UK Recalls and Withdrawal system.
What is World Food Safety Day and Why is it Important?
Steve Wearne, Director of Science at the Food Standards Agency and Vice Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, said: “We are proud to be celebrating the first ever World Food Safety Day, it is great to have an international day to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage food borne risks.”
“Today is an opportunity to strengthen efforts to ensure the food we eat is safe. Food Safety is everyone’s business, whether you produce, process, sell or prepare food, then you have a role in keeping it safe. We are pleased to play our part in making sure people can trust their food, particularly through working with local authorities and food businesses when a recall is required.”
So, whether you are a food business or consumer, today is of great importance to you!
What is a Food Withdrawal?
A withdrawal is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain before it has reached consumers.
What is a Food Recall?
A recall is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain and consumers are advised to take appropriate action, for example to return or dispose of the unsafe food.
Sign up to the food alerts and allergy alerts, so you can be the first to hear if there is a recall. https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/subscribe
How Can This Information Help Me?
The FSA has put together in-depth guidance on the laws surrounding withdrawals and recalls and what businesses need to do, including information on:
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- traceability systems
- making a decision and carrying out a withdrawal or recall
- roles and responsibilities
- how to inform consumers of a food recall
The FSA guide for businesses can be accessed here:
Induction Junction
Here at Induction Junction, we have sourced online food hygiene and safety courses to provide further training and support for your business. This includes accredited Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 food hygiene and food safety, allergen awareness, hazard analysis, and critical control point training courses. These can be found here: https://inductionjunction.co.uk/course-category/food-hygiene/
Or feel free to get in touch with us for more information and how we can best help at: info@inductionjunction.co.uk
Helpful Links:
https://www.food.gov.uk/research/research-projects/the-future-of-food-recalls – Independent research assessing the effectiveness of food withdrawal and recall processes in the UK food retail sector
https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-incidents-product-recalls-and-withdrawals – How to report, respond to and prevent an incident, including how to withdraw or recall unsafe food products.
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/consultations/guidance-on-food-traceability-withdrawals-and-recalls-within-the-uk-food-industry – consultation regarding food businesses and compliance with food law and providing advice and supporting tools to food businesses and food enforcement authorities in dealing with food safety withdrawals and recalls. The guidance outlines legal requirements and includes best practice advice.
