Alimenti Blog
Welcome to the blog and updates from Louise . I hope that you enjoy reading it.
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.
July 2021
I have labelled my first products! Not that I am about to go into business producing food and drink. These are for my daughter’s wedding reception in August. They look beautiful, but the hand labelling was a tricky endeavor. Getting everything straight was not an easy thing to do.
My hat has been created and it will be revealed in August. The hat was designed and created by a local milliner called Gilly’s Millinery. You can find her amazing creations on Facebook.
I have signed up to be an Enterprise Advisor at a school in Redditch starting in September. It’s very exciting. I have also been interviewed for a podcast which will be published in early August. I will post the link once it is made public.
I have also published Alimenti’s mission statement and values that we work by. You can read them here.
Lastly Alimenti is on the move. The admin address is moving to Worcester into The Kiln in Copenhagen Street.
May 2021
I am due to be vaccinated for the second time, as well as receive lateral flow test kits for when I have site visits.
My diary is filling up with client calls and site visits. Since I received my BRCGS lead auditor qualification and RPFAM accreditation from IFST, I have had lots of interest from potential clients.
In my personal life, my eldest daughter is getting married in August and we are excited that the restrictions may be lifted enough to allow the day to go ahead. I have been busy sourcing stationery for her, using Canva to design the “save the date!” magnets, which I ordered from Sticker Mule. I have used Sticker Mule to create coasters and keyrings for promotional materials several times and always been very happy with the products. We have also been deciding on my outfit (including a hat). I will share pictures of the big day on social media, but needless to say, we are very excited!
March 2021
I received my COVID 19 vaccination amid a storm of arguments between the EU and British Governments over the supply of vaccines to the UK from European manufacturing sites.
February 2021
I was quoted in the Express! Here is the link to the article.
January 2021
Guardian Hub was launched to support food and drink business owners to get their businesses inspection ready. For more information click here.
2020 Blog
November 2020
The UK is in various types of restrictions, with some nations banning all forms of gathering at various times. We look forward to Christmas, whatever form that will bring and news of a vaccine against COVID- 19 is coming through with the anticipated roll out starting in December 2020. Don’t forget about the information in the coronavirus hub on this site. The link is here.
July 2020
The UK is starting to come out of lockdown and businesses are reopening. The rationale behind some of the decisions made do not always appear logical, but the Government are relying on people to be sensible. The wearing of masks in shops becomes mandatory on 24th July. These will reduce the infection from a COVID 19 sufferer to a non infected person, and the rate of infection decreases again if both wear masks. The research is showing that the virus remains active in the air for longer than previously thought. This is still a new virus to humans, so we learn all the time about how it behaves.
May 2020
May saw the launch of the Coronavirus resource hub, the hub is intended to act as a central repository for the information that is published by Alimenti and other reputable sources, such as the UK Government.
March 2020
March is indeed marching forward. I am writing this as the UK Government has told the country to stay at home unless you are travelling for one of 4 reasons. Work which you cannot do at home, essential shopping such as food and medicines, to exercise once per day or to attend to medical needs or as a carer. I have written a blog about how long the virus stays active in the environment, here.
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 the 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.
Samples
When you are sending samples to a laboratory, you need to tell the laboratory exactly what information you require on the certificate of analysis. Of course you know that the three types of sauce had no preservative, preservative 1 and preservative 2 in them....
Natasha’s Law becomes law in October
Natasha's Law becomes law in October 2021 in the UK. The Food Information Amendment Regulations 2019 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with similar legislation in Scotland, come into force on 1st October 2021.The amendment means that any food placed on the...
Shelf life of chilled food
Shelf life of chilled food The words used for the shelf life of food after production are either ‘Use By’ or ‘Best Before’ in the UK. We are looking at chilled shelf life products or fresh products in this blog. These have the "Use By" shelf life which is all about...
Shelf life of food part one
The words used for the shelf life of food after production are either ‘Use By’ or ‘Best Before’ in the UK. A very few products may not have a shelf life, such as salt and sugar.. Use By The product must be consumed by the ‘Use By’ the date applied to the pack. It...
Traceability
What is traceability and why is it important in food and drink? Traceability is important for several reasons. The first is because it is a legal requirement under current UK and EU legislation. The second is because if there is a problem with a component or the...
Food safety – my journey
My hands were clammy. I could feel my heart beating in my chest. I felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights and I was just not sure what I should do or what I should say. What's that got to do with food safety? Read on! I had been working part time for a friend’s...
Complaints
There is a story behind the photo above and it involves complaints. The story goes like this. A customer opened a can of sweetcorn and found hairs in amongst the sweetcorn. Naturally the customer wasn't happy, so returned the can to the shop where they had purchased...
Food Crime Risk Assessment
Food Crime Risk Assessment The Food Standards Agency in the UK have published a Strategic Assessment of the risk to the food industry of food crime.The first point to note is the recognition that the way the law is set up and the way that people buy food and drink has...
Customer Food safety requirements
Looking to grow your food business and not sure what to do? This article is about the importance of customer food safety requirements when growing your business this way.Do you want to start working with the major retailers or food service providers? Do you have the...
Food specification
What to include in a food and drink specification? If you have never written a specification , it is a daunting question. Essentially, you are aiming to record the parameters that are representative of your product. For example, are you producing a cake which has...