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.
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.
Food premises design part two
Food premises and kitchen design part two Food premises and kitchen design is key to food safety and the smooth running of any food business. The design of any area used to prepare food must be done with food safety and health & safety in mind. Often premises...
Food premises kitchen design part one
Food premises and kitchen design Food premises and kitchen design is key to food safety and the smooth running of any food business. The design of any area used to prepare food must be done with food safety and health & safety in mind. Often premises evolve or are...
Natasha’s Law
Natasha's Law "Natasha's Law" is a change to UK legislation about labelling food and drink. Currently if you prepare and pack food for sale in the same unit or building, the labelling required is minimal. In my opinion, this was taken advantage of by Pret a Manger...
Food Fraud – Operation Opson
Food Fraud - a definition. The term "Food fraud" is used to encompass the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients, or foodpackaging; or false or misleading statements made about a product, for...
Chilling food
Chilling food. Chilling food to preserve it is a technology which has been around for longer than you may expect. Archaeologists have found evidence dating back to 1780 BC of ice houses. What the exact purpose was is unclear but the use of ice has been going...
Cooking food safely
Cooking food. Cooking food is a very old way to make food safe and palatable to eat. Raw meat and some raw vegetables and pulses can contain pathogenic (disease causing) bacteria and viruses or toxins that are destroyed when heated. Cooking food kills bacteria It...
Cross contamination
Cross contamination. Cross contamination can come from a number of sources and cause harm. Glass, raw food, insects, people, clothing, chemicals and rodents are just a few. The types are foreign bodies, chemical, allergens and microbiological.Foreign bodies Foreign...
Listeria
Listeria Hysteria? Have you noticed that cases of Listeria are increasingly being reported in the media, with several deaths reported from hospitals? Listeria Hysteria, or a growing problem? There have also been two recalls in the UK during June 2019, at the time of...
Are all bacteria bad for us?
Each of us, as an adult, has around 30,000,000,000,000 viable microbes living in our intestines and body, comprising over 400 different species. How much do all these bugs weigh in an average adult? Around 200g, according to the US Library of Medicine. However, this...
Do we reduce our food safety standards for a trade deal with the USA
Do we reduce our food safety standards for a trade deal with the USA In the United Kingdom, we have some of the best quality food, food safety and animal welfare standards in the world. We are recognised as producing quality food and drink, which is in demand,...
