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Chewing it all over
Page 26
Page 27
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Health scares such as BSE have placed a focus on food safety. What regulations govern the transport of foodstuffs?
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The frozen food industry came about as a result of a happy accident. While on a fishing trip to Labrador. Canada, in 1917 Clarence Birdseye found some fish that had been left on the ice during a previous trip. The creatures seemed to be in perfect condition, so Birdseye and his team cooked and ate the fish without suffering any pangs of indigestion.
In 1929, Birdseye exploited this accident by providing frozen food to commercial outlets under the Birds Eye label, and retail products followed in 1939— a global industry was born.
By 1963, Birds Eye was spending £500,000 in the UK alone during the first half of the year on TV advertising.
The advent of frozen food and its stablemate, chilled food, has provided food for thought for the legislators, and, in particular, the transport firms that distribute such products.
UK food hygiene laws dating from 2006 affect all those involved in the food business, including distributors. These laws introduced the 'farm to fork' approach in that the legislation involved the primary producers, such as farmers and growers, through to the retailers. The regulations require that all operators are registered with the competent authority, whether it be the Meat Hygiene Service or the local authority environmental health department, at least 28 days before the operation begins.
A haulier that transports food is identified as a 'food business establishment' along with all other firms involved in the manufacturing, distribution and retail process.
The Food Safety Act 1990 is the law from which other legislation has flowed, including the General Food Regulations 2004. The regulations are designed to prevent food that is 'injurious to health' or 'unfit for human consumption' finding its way to the consumer. Contravene these laws and the penalties include fines or custodial sentences. Any food imported into the European Union must meet the requirements of EU food law.
Food distribution and the law
Operators are obliged to put in place a system of food safety management based on HAC:CP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) principles, an internationally recognised standard.
Such systems are designed to stop things going wrong in the distribution chain, but the legislation is structured in such a way so that it can be applied flexibly according to the nature and size of the business.
Hygiene Transporting frozen • Chilled foodstuffs must be kept at temperatures not foods is governed exceeding 8V. to prevent the growth of toxins. by a stringent set of • Hot food, which has been cooked or reheated, must he regulations in order to kept at temperatures at or above 63°C to prevent the prevent produce from growth of toxins. becoming contaminated
• Frozen food the Quick-frozen Foodstuffs (OFF) Regulations lay down that quick-frozen food must be kept at -18`C, plus or minus 3°C, during transport.These rules do not apply to other frozen foods. Instruments must record the temperature at which QFF is transported and these records must be kept for a year.
The equipment used to record temperature must comply with three
European CEN standards from 1 Food Standards Agency January 2006; any that doesn't must not be used after 31 December 2009. British Frozen Food Federation From January 2010, all equipment must comply with the new standards. Transfrigoroute represents operators and Penalties controlled industry. It is one of 26 member Breaches in food safely arid hygiene groups that is aft itiated to Transfrigoroute may be dealt with by Regulation 5 of International, an organisation set up by the General Food Regulations 2004. the United Nations, which represents the • A fine or up to two years in jail for a needs of the industry across Europe conviction in a crown court.
• A fine or six months' jail or both for Freight Transport Association Yearbook a conviction in a magistrates' court. of Road Transport Law