Some of these circumstances could mean a review of the whole system like I had to recently look at with regards to our Allergy System. Some of these circumstances may mean temporarily making changes to the way we do things. For example no Hot Water supply could mean we have to use disposable equipment which goes against the companies guidelines to reduce our carbon footprint.

Caterlink provide me with the standards and facilities and it is my duty to train staff accordingly.

I verify and monitor procedures through my weekly paperwork and monthly audits.
Caterlink verify and monitor through their termly audits.
ESB verify and monitor through their annual site visits.
EHO verify and monitor through their annual inspection which provide our scores on the doors.

On occasion a problem may occur and procedures may need to be changed. You can read my food safety statement in 5.1 evidence section.

Food labelling, stock control and sickness should be monitored carefully.

Physical
Physical risks to food safety managment is when there is a chance a foreign object has entered the food process.
This 5 main causes of physical risks to food are....

To prevent cross contamination your FSMS should include a list of do’s and don’t in regards to correct equipment, uniform, storage etc Personal Hygiene is vital to avoid hair getting into foods hair nets and hats should be worn and nails should be kept natural and short.

Chemical
Chemical risks to food occur when food comes into contact with certain chemicals such as....

This is where research into your suppliers, washing fruit and veg and correct storage is important, cleaning products should be stored safely and separately to food stock. Pain killers or prescription medication should be kept in staff members personal lockers and should not enter the kitchen environment. Allergens should be watched closely and usually suppliers and labelling can help greatly with this.

Allergen

Food.Gov is a great website for help with food allergen information.

Allergens

Almost any food can cause an allergic reaction but there are certain foods that are responsible for most food allergies. The 14 allergens are on the regulatory list because they have been identified as the most common in the UK and the rest of the EU.

We currently have a variety of children with allergies that we take very seriously at our unit. Each child with an allergy is issued a lanyard, has a menu unique to their allergy, provides us with a signed form and medical evidence. It is vital we safeguard ourselves and the children.

Hazards need to be considered. A hazard is something that is dangerous. A food hazard is something that is unsafe that could potentially make us unwell. It’s important to identify any hazards when you put your procedures together. Business must ensure they meet all legal requirements when designing a new system.

MyHACCP

In my evidence you will see a link to My HACCP which is a free web tool set up as a guide to help us develop a food safety managment system based on the HACCP principles.

How do we ensure we are in compliance with legislation?

There is a General food law in place whether you work with cook food, supply food or are a consumer. The law covers the following topics.

Throughout the food chain we all need to stick to the food safety rules. We have to research our suppliers to ensure they are doing what is expected of them also. Caterlink are responsible for researching suppliers to ensure they meet expectations. It is my role as a manager to make sure I stick to my suppliers to ensure I’m complying with company policy. It I Caterlink’s responsibilty to ensure they provide us with the correct equipment and resources needed to meet expectations.

What is our role in Food Safety?

As a food business operator it is important that we follow the guidelines and legislation set out to protect our business, staff and customers through.

As a Cook Manager at Laurance Haines School it is my responsibility to ensure all staff have the skills required to maintain the guidelines set out for is by Caterlink. This is done through our training records and our training Tuesday sessions.
It is also important that I as a manager ensure that I am orderly in my role and made sure that all the required resources are available to my team. All staff must know how to use our Weekly Food Saftey Managment Book and it is my role to ensure staff have the resources required to fill this out documentation efficiently.
Control Points are set out for us by Caterlink to ensure we have implemented the correct procedures. This are done by way of sending weekly documentation off to head office, completing monthly audits, Area Managers completing their audits and through regularly training.
Any Non-Compliance should be addressed and monitererd closely.
In Caterlink all staff are responsible for Food Hygiene procedures withihn their unit, the manager should keep paperwork in an orderly fashion and ensure staff are complying.
It is against company policy to doctor any paperwork, if staff members are found doing to this could lead to disciplinary action. Staff are responsibly for their own actions, for keeping accurate temperature records and following th4e special dietary requirements regulations. Staff would also be held accountable for their own actions and with this in mind we should never sign off anything that has been checked or done by another person.