Alimenti Blog

 

 

 

Welcome to the blog and  updates from Louise . I hope that you enjoy reading my blog.

 

 There will also be a series of articles and posts on the website which I will be reviewing regularly. The blog archive is here.  If you would like to connect with me on LinkedIn, my profile is here. Let’s start a conversation. 

 

January 2020

 

We have a new Government in the UK and Brexit is due at the end of the month. We are awaiting the technical guidance on th Pre Packed Food for Direct Sale definition from UK Food Standards Agency, at the time of writing this blog. The UK legislation will come into force in October 2021, so watch this space for more information.

 

 

 

November 2019

 

 

 

Brexit didn’t happen. I attended a seminar on Due Diligence defence and learned that health and safety laws are being used to prosecute food safety offences in the UK. I also attended a workshop about Listeria and allergens. Both were run by the IFST. Both were invaluable in terms of updating my knowledge and networking with my peers. 

 

 

October 2019

 

  As Brexit is due to happen on 31st October 2019, with the transition period ending in December 2020, I feel it is a timely activity to review your supply chain. My food safety update subscribers will receive a reminder to do this, along with some tips. You can sign up here and receive a free supplier questionnaire template.   

 

September 2019

 

 

 

Natasha’s Law was placed before Parliament on 5th September 2019. My article is here. 

 

 

 

 August 2019

 

 August 2019 was the last summer that my youngest child was in education, so we went on holiday to Devon and has a relaxed time. The final year of A Levels approaches so stress levels will be high for the next 9 months!

 

 

 

July 2019 

 

I got the results of my HACCP exam and I achieved a Distinction! All of the 22 pages of writing paid off! On a more serious note, there was a change of Prime Minister and the Minister responsible for Food, Environment and Agriculture also changed. We will wait to see whether Natasha’s law is enacted given the change in personalities. 

 

  In July I started posting regularly on Instagram. The account is here if you would like to follow it. 

 

 The news also broke that the sandwich producer being investigated regarding the deaths in hospital as a result of consuming products containing Listeria monocytogenes has closed. The business has been exonerated in the investigation, but the news came too late. 

 

June 2019

 

  The news that Natasha’s law is planned to be laid before Parliament this summer was expected given the pledge from Michael Gove after the coroner’s report. It appears to mean that all pre packed food will have to have full ingredient and allergen labelling. Reports indicate that a transition period will give businesses until the summer of  2021 to change their packaging. 

 

 There have been 2 recalls so far this month (26th June 2019)  due to the presence of Listeria. These, along with the reports of deaths following the consumption of sandwiches by hospital patients has led to a blog post which you can find here.

 

 In June I updated my HACCP skills & knowledge by attending a Level 3 and level 4 HACCP course. I will get my results in July. Fingers crossed! 

 

 

 

I have also been to a couple of local events in Worcestershire, including a Food & Drink Forum at Lovells Vineyard.

 

 

 

May 2019

 

 In May I attended 2 food safety conferences. One was around the legislation and enforcement changes planned as apart of “Regulating Our Future”  changes from Trading Standards and Food Standards Agency representatives.

 

  The second was based on food safety culture and supply chain challenges. There was a very informative presentation from a halal accreditation body, too. 

 

 The ExperiTent in Dorset went well, with lots of interest and experiments about taste and food, as well as an opportunity for the general public to see what petri dishes full of pathogens looked like. (These were photos not actual pathogenic bacteria in the petri dishes.) 

 

 April 2019

 

  This month I have been busy with Client work. My email newsletter was all about how to avoid killing your business and your customers. I have also written a blog about the debate around doing a deal with the USA, and my opinion on it.

 

  A parish newsletter has also asked if I would write a regular column for them, in Kent. Of course, I said yes! In May I will be helping at Christchurch Discover Science ExperiTENT at the Food Festival. I will write more about it, once it has happened. If you are at the Food Festival, pop by and say hello. I will be there on the Sunday, all day.   

 

March 2019

 

  Have you ever wondered how to best work with me to suit your budget? My Guided by Alimenti package has a special offer available at the moment. Check it out by clicking on this link. 

 

 In March I attended the ATOMICON conference in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was organised by Andrew and Pete, and was full of energy and ideas, as well as lots of opportunities to network and socialise with the delegates and speakers. I enjoyed it so much that I booked to go to Atomicon 2020. 

 

  

 

February 2019

 

 I have written a blog about food that I avoid for food safety reasons.  If you would like to be the first to know about my latest offers, blogs, free downloads and developments at Alimenti, sign up to my newsletter here.   

 

 

 

 January 2019

 

 Happy New Year and I wish you a Prosperous 2019! 

 

 In January I visited Worcestershire Food & Drink inaugural networking event at Pershore College. I also wrote a blog about red tape, and why I believe it is important.  If you would like to know what I got up to in 2018, read my blog post, below.