Alimenti Blog Archive

Welcome to the blog archive from Louise at Alimenti Food Sciences. If you would like to connect with me on LinkedIn, my profile is here.

 

I am also in the Summer issue of SMBN Magazine.  Read the whole issue here. I have also been interviewed by Nuno Soares for his course on the subject of food defence. My daughter got married too.

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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

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March 2021

My first COVID 19 vaccination was given 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

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January 2021

Guardian Hub was launched to support food and drink business owners to get their businesses inspection ready. For more information click  here

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.

 

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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 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.

 

 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.  

 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.

 

December 2018

At this time of the year, the planning for celebrations at Christmas and New Year are well underway.

Being ill or having unexpected disruptions to your business are the last thing that you need and I have a couple of articles that you may find useful to read before the festivities get underway.

One is about avoiding food poisoning and has been written by the Food Standards Agency in the UK. Remember the 4 C’s of food hygiene: Chilling, Cleaning, Cooking and avoiding Cross-contamination.

The second is about planning for business continuity, click here to find out more.

October 2018

This month, I have been updating my knowledge about food safety culture and testing for undeclared offal in meat products.

There has also been news about the conviction and imprisonment of two people associated with a takeaway that sold a meal to an allergen sufferer who had told them about her allergies and later died.

The most media activity has been around Pret a Manger and the current laws around declaring allergies. The current regulations do not require full labelling when producing and selling food at the same premises. Pret have followed the law, and signposted consumers to information held by the staff. The coroner was unhappy with a large multi site business not fully labelling their products. The story has been covered by multiple news agencies.

Just Eat are also in the media for listing businesses with poor food hygiene ratings. In my experience, they also list businesses with no food hygiene rating. I have reported any that I have found to the local regulatory services.

September 2018

I am delivering a course this month for vineyard owners on delivering food offers whilst reducing the risk to their reputation and business. I am also speaking at an Enterprise Nation event in Canary Wharf on how to negotiate the jargon jungle of approval when pitching to blue chip clients.

I will  be taking a break and going away for a trip to Bilbao.

August 2018

Alimenti has been in the local Chamber of Commerce news click here to read the article. I am starting my monthly group calls which will cover food safety and business topics for my new members in September. The Topics include “Top 10 tips to negotiate the  jargon jungle of approval” and ” HACCP for business owners”. The full programme for the coming year will be available shortly.

I am also developing Client portals where all the documentation that I have created for my Clients will be available to download from one place. It is a secure area, unique to my individual Clients. No more searching through emails to find the relevant one.

 July 2018

I am writing more blogs about keeping your customers, food , drink and business safe. I have revamped the website and added new packages to support business owners. Check out the Work with Me tab.

I will also be investing in my development with two conferences in London. I will also be in the photography studio creating some mock ups of food complaints. Watch out on social media as I release the photos.

June 2018

This month I have been featured in the IFST “People who strive to keep our food safe, and are passionate about what they do and how they do it”. The link is here . I will also be joining the Processions event in London on 10th June to celebrate 100 years of women being able to vote in the UK.

May 2018

There are new products being developed in the Alimenti Kitchen. Sign up to receive news and offers on new services and products and also regular food safety tips to your in box here. I have updated and collated the policies and documentation here, and written a blog about what the change to data regulation reminded me about.Read it here. I have also launched the Alimenti YouTube channel. Please subscribe and help me to get to my first 100 subscribers.

June 2018

This month I have been featured in the IFST “People who strive to keep our food safe, and are passionate about what they do and how they do it”. The link is here .

I will also be joining the Processions event in London on 10th June to celebrate 100 years of women being able to vote in the UK.

May 2018

There are new products being developed in the Alimenti Kitchen. Sign up to receive news and offers on new services and products and also regular food safety tips to your in box here.

I have updated and collated the policies and documentation here, and written a blog about what the change to data regulation reminded me about.Read it here.

I have also launched the Alimenti YouTube channel. Please subscribe and help me to get to my first 100 subscribers.

April 2018

I really enjoyed attending FoodEx at the NEC. I also went to the National WiRE conference for Women in Rural Enterprise.

I have updated my article on Mistakes made when selling to retailers here. 

I have written a blog on how to avoid jail as a food producer here, and one about how to avoid killing your customers here.

 

March 2018

I have published a checklist for “new to export” food producers. Click to receive this and food safety tips.

I have also written an article about what questions to consider if you want to work with a food safety consultant, here.

I attended the Food & Drink Conference hosted by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce.

The Sun quoted me in an article about reducing food waste. Read it here.

 

February 2018

With the recent announcement of a review of meat cutting plants by the FSA, I wrote about the importance of visiting suppliers last year in a LinkedIn article. This was called “When did you last visit your food suppliers?” 

I have updated the HACCP -Chemical hazards page.

There is a blog about food export here.

January 2018

January has seen the launch of a checklist for start up food and drink businesses. Sign up here to receive it and regular food safety tips.

I have written a blog about a recent recall for incorrect and missing allergen information. Advice Apprentice, Allergens can be found by clicking through the link.

I have also written about when should you throw food away.

Following the reports of Russell Hume recalling products after an unannounced inspection by the Food Standards Agency, I have written a blog about the importance of precise paperwork. 

I have also published the awards and articles that I have appeared in the press on a separate page.

December 2017

I won a business award in the category for Best Use of Social Media by a New Business in the #WorcestershireHour Social Media Awards. This means such a lot to me. Thank you to everyone who voted for @Alimenti_fs.

I wrote blogs on Common Mistakes made by food and drink producers when growing their business. The first is here. and Part Two is here

 

 

 

  November 2017

The Twitter account for Alimenti (alimenti_fs) was nominated for a social media award in Worcestershire Social Media Awards. I am nominated for the Best Use of Social Media by a New Business Award. Alimenti is also sponsoring Best Use of #WorcestershireHour by a Public Body. Please vote for us.

 

There was an article in Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce publication about the launch of #UKFoodHour which is a Twitter virtual networking hour set up to celebrate the Great food that is produced in the UK.

 

I will also be going to Food Matters Live in ExCel London at the end of the month, and attending Your Year in PR 2017 with Janet Murray from Soulful PR.

 

September 2017

I have written a blog on the 2 Sisters poultry site investigation by The Guardian and ITV News here

There is also an article on LinkedIn with top tips for start up food & drink businesses. More detailed information is here.

During September, we also exhibited at Worcester Festival of Business. It was great to meet new people and catch up with the business people of Worcester. We also launched a Twitter networking hour- UK Food Hour.

August 2017

I have written an article on LinkedIn with top tips for start up food & drink businesses. More detailed information is here.

 June 2017

I have also written about developing an environmental sampling plan for microbiology here.

EU Food Safety Almanac

The latest edition of the EU Food Safety Almanac is available  here

May 2017

This month there is a new page looking at HACCP and physical hazards here. There is also an article in LinkedIn about audits and food fraud.

April 2017

This month, we have taken a look at how a restaurant, gym or hotel can check cleaning practices in an effective way that makes it measurable and manageable. The article is here.

There is also an article about Allergens for caterers here.

Food allergens are becoming an increasingly reported issue with a recent report from FSA highlighting that the most common foods that people reported having an adverse reaction to. These were cows’ milk and cows’ milk products (22%), cereals containing gluten (13%) and molluscs e.g. mussels, oysters (11%).

A prosecution brought in 2016 against Mohammed Zaman, the owner of several restaurants resulted in a sentence of 6 years after a man died from anaphylactic shock. The consumer had a nut allergy and had purchased a nut free curry. The owner had substituted an almond powder for a cheaper substitute.

Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers brings together rules on general food labelling and nutrition labelling into one piece of legislation.

March 2017

We have added a new page taking a brief look at food fraud through the ages. It is here.

This month, there have been reports of fraud in the Brazilian beef industry, with allegations of bribery at 4 meat packing plants.