Cash will mean safer food for us
Gloucestershire Food Vision, which is campaigning for healthier food, has been awarded £300,000 by the Foods Standards Agency to improve the quality and safety of food in the catering industry.
Food Vision is a concept pioneered by Gloucestershire First that is attempting to make the production and consumption of food for the home, at work, in schools and hospitals healthier, safer and more affordable
The cash will go to the Gloucestershire Food Safety Group and will be administered by local authorities, the county council trading standards department and the Health Protection Agency.
Chef and food expert Robert Rees, who is helping develop Food Vision, said: “Caterers are busy people and this support, which we can now provide through environmental health officers, is what many small businesses need to set up food safety systems.
“It is another positive step in achieving the aims of Food Vision, with EHOs providing advice and practical guidance through workshops and one-to-one coaching.”
The Food Standard Agency’s safer food, better business strategy is a new approach to food safety, offering simple and easy-to-follow advice for caterers.
It complies with new EU food hygiene legislation and covers retailers, caterers, food manufacturers, producers and distributors.
Strategic development officer Adrian Jevans, said: “Food Vision is the first concept of its kind in the UK and promises to put people first.
“This award is great news and means that extra environmental health officers can be recruited to help caterers provide safer food for the people of Gloucestershire.”
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Issued on behalf of Gloucestershire First by Tony Haynes Eastwood Public Relations tel 01242 253707. 19/9/05.
For additional information, Adrian Jevans can be contacted on
01242 864199