International news sites have recently reported on the tragic case of two deaths and further hospitalisations, apparently caused by botulism in broccoli panini. Whilst some sites are treating this with a hint of amusement, there is certainly nothing funny about two preventable deaths. We look at what we know, how these cases might have been caused and what could have been done to prevent them
We know that the common food that was eaten by those who suffered from food poisoning was a sandwich made from sausage and a leafy green vegetable, cimi de rape (also known as broccoli rabe), from an Italian food truck. Jars of cimi de rabe were reportedly seized from the truck, but it is not yet clear who prepared or preserved the vegetable.
Update 15/08/25 - Following the seizure of cimi de rabe from the food van, the Italian Ministry of Health has also issued a recall of four Neapolitan-style friarelli (cimi de rabe) products under the brand names Bel Sapore and Vittoria
The patients suffered from botulism, caused by pathogen Clostridium botulinum present in the broccoli sandwich. This rare but very serious pathogen is found in soil, dust, and river and sea sediments. The pathogenic bacteria themselves can be destroyed by cooking, but poor storage can lead to the production of toxic spores, which are resistant to heat. In the UK, most cases of foodborne botulism are caused by homemade food that is improperly canned or preserved. Typically, this includes foods such as fruits, vegetables, honey and fish. Botulism is also often found in prepared garlic products.
As it is likely that the botulism was present in the preserved cimi de rabe, we can identify a few potential points at which the preservation process went wrong, allowing the pathogen to produce toxic spores.
If you are involved in food preparation or production, you will recognise these as Critical Control Points - events where good food hygiene practice and monitoring should be used to reduce or eliminate food safety hazards. For more information, take a look at our Level 2 HACCP course which helps food businesses create food safety management systems, based on HACCP principles.
Sadly, a woman in her 40s and man in his 50s have died following this outbreak and 17 more have been hospitalised. Clostridium botulinum is a highly dangerous pathogen that attacks the nervous system and can be fatal in 5-10% of cases. Fatalities are not restricted to typically vulnerable patients.
According to the NHS, initial symptoms can include vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhoea or constipation. Without treatment, the illness can attack the nervous system, leading to:
For more information on botulism, its causes and prevention, take a look at the FSA website
Photo credit: Adi Rahman via Unsplash
On 09/05/2025, the Food Standards Agency issued a food alert relating to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes in identified cheese products sold in Tesco supermarkets. The notice relates to La Superbe Raclette, produced by Castelli UK Ltd. The FSA advises consumers to return the product to stores for a refund, and not to consume.
Listeria, whilst not the most common pathogenic bacteria found in food, is certainly one of the most dangerous. Flu-like symptoms can include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea. Listeria infection can lead to serious complications requiring hospitalisation including meningitis and sepsis, and can cause death.
Listeria monocytogenes is a group of approximately 13 variations of pathogenic bacteria, which cause listeriosis in humans. The pathogens typically thrive in soil, water and faeces. They are notoriously hard to control because they survive a wide range of conditions, including cold temperatures and environments with no oxygen. Listeria pathogens can be denatured through cooking at suitable times and temperatures. Therefore the greatest risk of Listeria to consumers is via ready-to-eat or chilled foods that are eaten without cooking.
Listeria can be particularly dangerous to vulnerable groups including:
Follow the NHS guidance if you believe you or someone you know has listeriosis, particularly within these vulnerable groups.
If you have purchased La Superbe Raclette (150g) from a Tesco store, return it for refund - do not consume. Point of sale notices should be visible in stores giving further information about the recall.
Because of the characteristics of Listeria, manufacturers must pay particular attention to risk assessment of this pathogen. In particular, ready to eat foods present a particular risk, as no cook process will take place after purchase. A report by the Chilled Food Association (CFA) has produced specific guidance for the management of Listeria monocytogenes during food production of ready to eat foods.
The process detailed by the CFA combines a thorough risk assessment and HACCP process with a rigorous testing regime. As many raw ingredients used in food manufacture may have come into contact with Listeria, control here is crucial.
The CFA also recommend a rigorous testing programme as part of listeria control in a production environment. They point out that occasional positive results are not necessarily a negative, but can be a sign that monitoring is working effectively, and can be key to identifying problem areas and weakness in the process
Visual inspections and swabbing are useful in identifying potential problem areas and helping to reinforce staff training. The most important part of testing however, is a thorough sampling protocol, that begins with raw ingredients and continues throughout production, packing, storage and delivery. An action plan should be in place, and implemented upon discovery of pathogens above the levels dictated by EU Reg 2073/2005, as these are considered potentially harmful to health.
On 19th March 2025, reports emerged of a number of hospital deaths linked to Listeria monocytogenes. The source has been identified as a chilled dessert, produced by a manufacturer that supplies to hospitals and care homes. It is understood that these products are not available to end consumers via retail outlets.
At the time of reporting, listeriosis was certified as the cause of one death, with two other patients suffering from listeriosis at the time of their death. Two other patients are known to have contracted listeriosis. Crucially, the desserts were shown to carry listeria bacteria at levels below those considered safe for human consumption, so it is expected that further work will carried out by the UKSHA and FSA.
For further information on this case, see the BBC report
This is the second significant listeria outbreak to occur in the UK and NI in 2025. Earlier in the year, a significant list of dairy products produced by JOD foods were recalled, including cheese products.
Creating a strong food safety culture - the acceptance that food safety is the responsibility of all - is key to embedding the necessary systems and processes in a food business. A crucial part of this is providing good safety training at an appropriate level for every role.
The Safer Food Group offer accessible, engaging online training with a focus on practical knowledge that can be easily brought into the workplace. Courses include:
Level 2 Food Hygiene (Manufacturing)
This course equips food handlers with the basic knowledge they need to understand the importance of good food hygiene in a food production environment. It teaches practical skills including prevention of cross contamination, good personal hygiene and the importance of correct times and temperatures. It also informs food handlers of their personal legal responsibilities regarding food safety.
A comprehensive risk assessment process and resulting preventative measures are a crucial step in creating a safe food production environment. The Level 2 HACCP course introduces these principles and teaches all workers their role in upholding HACCP principles in their workplace.
The follow-on course from Level 2 Food Hygiene, Level 3 Food Supervisor addresses the principles of food safety in greater detail. It address the science of food hygiene in a clear and straightforward way, including a breakdown of various food poisoning pathogens. It also introduces some key principles of team management for those workers new to a supervisory role.
Following a government consultation, the latest Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS 2025) was released on 14th July 2025. The EYFS is a statutory framework that sets standards of care, learning and development for early years (0-5 years) settings in the UK. These include pre-schools, private nurseries and childminders. Settings have until 1st September 2025 to implement the changes, which have been made in the following areas:
The new Safer Eating regulations, 3.63 – 3.70, sit within the Food and Drink section. They appear on pages 27-28 in the EYFS Statutory Framework for Childminders and on pages 36-37 in the EYFS Statutory Framework for Group and School based providers.
The measures included in this section are:
For the report on the initial consultation that drove these measures, see p.27 of Early Years Foundation Stage safeguarding reforms - consultation response
Food allergy policy is a key element that is included in the EYFS 2025 update. The published government response emphasis the requirement for ongoing communication between settings, parents, carers and in some cases, healthcare professionals, regarding allergies and intolerances. Allergy action plans should be developed, reviewed regularly and shared with all staff. The response also highlights that children can develop allergies at any time, with the introduction of solid foods being a potential trigger. At each mealtime and snack time, a specific person must be responsible for checking that food is safe for the child consuming it.
The EYFS 2025 is not expected to contain any updated regulations for food hygiene policy. Settings should continue to ensure that:
For more information about your legal obligations when serving food, visit https://www.thesaferfoodgroup.com/knowledge/do-early-years-settings-need-to-register-as-a-food-business/
As an early years educator, practitioner, manager, setting owner or childminder, make yourself familiar with the 2025 reforms now, in readiness for any changes you need to make. Changes needed in your setting may include:
In preparation for EYFS 2025, the government published updated guidelines for Early Years nutrition. As part of EYFS 2025, providers are required to follow this nutrition guidance unless there is good reason not to. These guidelines are already available here: Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition - GOV.UK.
The full and final versions of EYFS (2025) were released on 14th July 2025 and must be implemented within settings in time for 1st September 2025.
The Safer Food Group works in collaboration with the Early Years Alliance to create unique health and safety training that gets to the heart of day to day challenges faced by early years settings. These include Level 2 Food Hygiene (Early Years), Level 2 Allergy Awareness (Early Years), and Level 2 Health and Safety (Early Years). EYA members can access SFG’s Food Hygiene and Allergy Awareness for Early Years via EYA Central, with Health and Safety for Early Years coming soon. Visit EYA Central to view the full range of courses for Early Years teams.
Like Natasha's Law that precedes it, Owen's Law is a proposed new legislation that has come about following a severe allergic reaction suffered by a young person. Owen Carey was an 18-year-old boy with multiple severe allergies, including dairy. In 2017, while celebrating his birthday in London, Owen ordered a chicken burger at a restaurant. Assured by staff that the dish was safe for him to eat, Owen was unaware that the chicken had been marinated in buttermilk - a detail not disclosed on the menu or by the server. Following Owen Carey's tragic death, his parents have campaigned for better written communications of allergens on restaurant menus. At the time of writing, Owen's Law is still in development.
The Owen’s Law campaign calls for a series of changes, most significantly that allergy information must be included on menus in all food outlets, including restaurants and cafes, in the UK. As it currently stands, food outlets do not have to include written allergy information on their menus, although this is advised.
The other changes proposed by the campaign include:
Owen's parents have also suggested the development of several easy-to-use tech solutions, including accessible online allergen matrices, a smartphone app, and a personal QR code for allergy sufferers that allows quick and easy access to their allergy information.
This legislation should make dining out a less fraught and hazardous experience for the UK’s approximately two million food allergy sufferers.
Owen's Law has not yet been passed - below is a timeline of the campaign's progress so far:
| January 2020 | Joint response to coroner's report issued by FSA, DEFRA and DHSC |
| April 2021 | The Owen's Law campaign is launched |
| May 2023 | Petition debated in Parliament |
| December 2023 | Formal support received from the FSA, followed later by recommendation that the government adopts legislative changes proposed by the campaign* |
| October 2024 | The FSA launches a consultation to food businesses, consumers and local authorities to share their views on the proposed changes |
| November 2024 | Consultation closed |
| Next steps | We await the FSA's publication of findings from the public consultation, and subsequent steps to define and pass into statute |
In food outlets where menu items and ingredients remain the same for a period of time (e.g. chain restaurants), Owen's Law may not be too difficult to implement. However, in more dynamic operations where the menu may change from day-to-day, and ingredients are dependent on available supply, this law represents a potential challenge which will need to be embraced and solved.
Communication with suppliers will become increasingly important, as menus will need to reflect ingredients with 100% accuracy, even if a last-minute substitution has been made.
Potential options include the use of mobile devices and integration of QR codes in menus to provide customers with the latest allergy information, or alternatively, going entirely to QR-based menu systems and discontinuing physical menus. While this option would enable the latest menu information to be updated without the need for reprints, it may be a complex system to implement, depending on the size of the establishments.
However, the Republic of Ireland already has similar laws to those that have been proposed, and adherence in ROI has shown that these measures can be achieved and work effectively. With good support, sharing of best practice and dedication, the UK food industry can improve safety for allergy sufferers.
A petition for passing Owen’s Law was made available to the British public, which received significant backing at over 12,000 signatures and was eventually nominated for the Award by the Petition’s Committee. The petition's success resulted in a debate in Parliament that occurred in May 2023, which was a pivotal moment for the campaign as it highlighted the public's concern about food allergy issues. Following this, there were various personal stories that captured the attention of the public, such as Max, a 17-year-old with a severe peanut allergy, who advocated for Owen's Law, stating it would make people with allergies feel safer when dining out.
In anticipation of the new legislation, it is recommended that food businesses review their allergen policies and procedures. The Safer Food Group offers two options for food allergy training courses.
Level 2 Allergy Awareness: Suitable for all food handlers, and explains the fundamentals of food allergies and the key steps to creating safe food for allergy sufferers.
Level 3 Allergy Supervisor course: Explains your legal responsibilities as a food business, and details how to undertake an allergens risk assessment and put the correct processes, procedures and communications in place.
For any questions you may have, about Owen’s Law or any other food safety related queries, get in touch with an expert from our team at The Safer Food Group.
UPFs are Ultra Processed Foods - you may have heard of them, as they've received a lot of press recently, but do you really understand what they are?
Many foods and ingredients we consume are processed to some extent. After all, most people don't use un-milled wheat, unbutchered meat or non-pasteurised milk. We may grow our own vegetables, fruit and herbs, forage the occasional blackberry, or even keep our own bees for honey. But, as most of us buy foods from producers or retailers, the majority of the foods we eat are processed in some way.
But some foods are processed to such a degree that they do not offer the health benefits of others, and can in fact present a risk to health. These are known as UPFs; a loose definition of UPFs is:
'products that typically contain large numbers of ingredients produced commercially, rather than domestically, and involving production methods that are not achievable during home preparation.'*
This is a really helpful definition if you need to make a quick analysis of a food. Let's break it down into three steps:
Other key signs that it might be a UPF are health claims on the packaging (e.g. 'low fat, 'source of protein'), products where the main ingredient has been turned into something very different (e.g. Corn chips), and the use of palm oil.
However, scientific sounding ingredients or unfamiliar processes are not always a red flag - for instance, calcium, iron, thiamine and niacin are micronutrients often added to flour, and using cornflour as a thickening agent is a standard process in a domestic setting. So taking some time to really understand ingredients lists is a great way to know what you're eating.
The NOVA classification system, created by Professor Carlos Monteiro and colleagues, has been designed to help us navigate UPFs. The four levels of processing described by the system are:
1. Unprocessed and minimally processed foods
These are foods that can be eaten or used in a domestic kitchen in their raw states, or after minor processing that doesn't change the food's major composition and properties. These process would include drying, chilling and freezing, crushing and grinding, pasteurisation, non-alcoholic fermentation and packaging. Such foods include raw, frozen and dried vegetables and fruit, fresh meat and fish, grains, legumes and rice, milk, plain yoghurt and raw eggs, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. Nutritionally, this group of foods is a rich source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
2. Processed culinary ingredients
These are foods that are often used as added ingredients in recipes used in domestic cooking. They typically originate from ingredients in category 1 but undergo process such as pressing, grinding, milling and refining to enhance certain properties or flavours. As such, these ingredients individually don't offer broad nutritional benefits, and are often used to increase the appeal of category 1 foods (e.g. improving mouth feel, sweetness or acidity).. Examples include plant oils, animal fats, sugar, syrup, honey, salt and vinegar.
3. Processed foods
Typically, these are foods where two or more foods from categories 1 and 2 are combined and further processed, for example cooked, smoked, fermented or packaged, or category 1 foods that have been modified, for instance cheese, ham, tinned vegetables. Examples of category 3 foods are salted crisps, nuts, seeds, freshly made bread (not intensively processed e.g. Chorleywood process), tinned foods, prepared fruits and smoked fish. Nutritionally, some of these foods can retain their benefits, especially minimally processed foods originally from category 1. However, others can be nutritionally unbalanced, especially those with significant levels of added salt, sugar and fats.
4. Ultra-processed foods
Despite this category's title, these foods are not just those that have undergone a number of processes to reach their final form. They can be foods that have been subject to several industrial processes, but this category also encompasses foods that have several ingredients, often including those that are only available in commercial settings, such as hydrolysed proteins, inverted sugars, emulsifiers and gelling agents. As examples - chocolate made on an industrial scale can have few ingredients but will have undergone at least 7 processes, whereas a cheap supermarket sausage ingredients list can look like this:
Some examples of foods which may fit into the UPF category are: fizzy drinks, packaged snacks, sweets, ice cream, cereals, cakes, pastries, fruit flavoured yoghurts, pies and pizzas, nuggets, and burgers - but of course, this depends on the production methods and number of ingredients. Nutritionally, UPFs are often energy dense and lacking in micronutrients.
We've touched on the nutritional concerns of UPF foods above. Typically, UPFs are high in energy dense macro nutrients (fats and carbohydrates). These easily absorbed calories can encourage overeating, and potentially lead to obesity and related serious health issues.
Some ingredients found in UPFs have been linked to other serious health conditions such as cancers, and consumers of diets high in UPFs can have a greater tendency to suffer from tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, depression and dementia.
Eating a diet that is high in UPFs and therefore lower in whole foods is likely to lead to a lack of key micronutrients essential for good health and a well functioning body. The Safer Food Group's Level 2 Nutritional Awareness course covers micronutrients and their vital role in our diet in more detail.
Unfortunately, consumption of UPF foods in the UK is at record levels, and the health of the nation is suffering as a result. UPFs are generally cheaper, more readily available and more convenient than their whole food alternatives, and therefore their prevalence is not surprising.
UPFs are not always easy to identify and are often presented as healthy options. Many mueslis for instance have a number of added industrial ingredients, despite their healthy basis of oats, nuts, seeds and fruits. Multi-seed breads may present some health benefits over their white alternatives, but mass produced versions will still consist of emulsifiers, added enzymes and oxidising agents, and will have undergone a high-speed mixing process to make it cheaper and more consistent to produce. Those looking to reduce meat consumption are often steered towards 'plant-based' foods - but often, the popular alternatives are far more processed than their meats counterparts.
What can food industry professionals do to help the increasing threat of UPFs? Learning about UPFs and their impact on nutrition is a great start; The Safer Food Group's Level 2 course is a solid starting place which explains how foods are composed and the impact of various macro and micronutrients on our health.
Those in menu planning roles can ensure that meals are based wherever possible on whole, minimally processed foods, and those with caring and teaching responsibilities can pass on basic knowledge about UPFs, and hopefully increase awareness to help to reverse the UPF trend.
And ultimately, like most things nutrition, it's all about balance. A diet that is largely based on whole foods, plenty of plants, a good balance of macro-nutrients and lots of variety can usually handle the odd packaged snack or pizza.
Glycerol is an ingredient that is added to some food and drink, to keep products moist, preserve them, to change their texture or to sweeten them. Glycerin (or glycerine) is a very closely related ingredient.
It is also widely used in pharmaceuticals. For instance, it can be used in cough syrups and topical treatments including wound and burn creams.
Following a number of cases of glycerol intoxication in children, the FSA have issued guidelines to food manufacturers and retailers regarding levels in food and drink and how to serve specific products. The purpose of these guidelines is to help retailers and parents understand the risk to children from drinking slushies.
Because it is a sweetener and moistener, many processed foods contain small quantities of glycerol. Check your packet of tortilla wraps, chewing gum, cake icing or cereal bars. Glycerol usually appears towards the bottom of the ingredients list, showing that that product contains a small amount.
The FSA has released guidelines that relate specifically to slushy drinks. This is because of the levels of glycerol in some of these products and the way they are sometimes consumed. In some slushie drinks, it creates the slushy texture and sweetens, so can appear in relatively high levels compared to other foods and drinks. It is sometimes sold as a ‘bottomless’ drink, particularly in family orientated venues, leading to high levels of consumption over short time periods.
Glycerol intoxication can happen in children aged about ten and under, causing headaches, sickness, and in extreme cases, shock, hypoglycaemia and loss of consciousness. This is because their smaller bodies cannot break glycerol down as efficiently as an adult or older child.
Because some slushy drinks contain particularly high levels of glycerol, the FSA recommends that children under 10 only consume limited amounts (one drink per day) and retailers do not offer free refills.
Regarding children and babies under 4, the FSA say,
“The FSA’s risk assessment considered a worst-case exposure scenario in which a child consumed a 350 ml slush drink containing the highest level of glycerol used (50,000 mg/L) and compared this to a threshold above which adverse effects could occur. Children aged 4 or below would exceed this threshold."
Their recommendations are to avoid slushy drinks for this age group.
The FSA have made four recommendations to food businesses regarding slushy drinks:
Follow this link for FSA guidelines for businesses. Guidelines on the use of glycerol may change accordingly if future FSA investigations find significantly reduced levels.
As well as the guidelines issued to food businesses, the FSA have updated their Food Additives page for consumers. It now includes specific advice regarding glycerol:
“Slush ice drinks can contain the ingredient glycerol as a substitute for sugar, at a level required to create the ‘slush’ effect. At this level, we recommend that children aged four years and under should not consume these drinks.
This is due to their potential to cause side-effects such as headaches and sickness, particularly when consumed in excess.”
Updated March 2025: Following the hospitalisation of 21 children after drinking slushies, researchers called for public health advice to be revised. Having examined cases occurring between 2018 and 2024, academics at University College Dublin highlighted glycerol intoxication in children of seven years old. Given the variable body composition of children, they suggest that guidelines for consumption should be based on weight rather than age. Alternatively, they recommend a higher age restriction.
We will update this post when further information emerges.
The Safer Food Group offer food safety training for food businesses in the UK. As food safety experts, we inform customers of the latest industry news and guidance, and implications for their operations. For more information about The Safer Food Group training, please visit www.thesaferfoodgroup.com
The government has announced that calories will be labelled on menus and food labels in certain ‘out-of-home food businesses’ from April 2022. Out-of-home refers to businesses that prepare food for immediate consumption by their customers, such as cafes, restaurants, pubs and takeaways. Here's our quick guide on labelling calories on your menus.
The new legislation means that large businesses with 250 or more employees in England, including cafes, restaurants and takeaways, will need to display the calorie information of non-prepacked food and soft drinks that are prepared for customers. In some circumstances, franchisees are deemed to be a part of their franchisor’s business and therefore employee numbers are calculated across the whole business.
The legislation comes into force from 6th April 2022, for the businesses outlined above
Calorie information will need to be displayed at the point of choice for the customer, such as physical menus, online menus, food delivery platforms and food labels
Businesses are also required to display the statement ‘adults need around 2000 kcal a day’ on their menus where food is chosen from a menu, or otherwise on a label where it can be seen by customers when making their food choices. Children’s menus are exempt from displaying the statement referencing daily calorie needs as the calorie requirements of a child vary with age and are less than those of an adult
The measures form part of the government’s wider strategy to tackle obesity. They will help to ensure people are able to make more informed, healthier choices when it comes to eating out or ordering takeaways.
At the present time, no plans to introduce this legislation into smaller food businesses have been announced.
This has yet to be announced.
Specific exemptions applying to food include:
The Regulations also specify exemptions for food which is served:
Our food safety training courses are regularly updated to include the latest regulations. Check out www.thesaferfoodgroup.com for more info. If you would like to learn more about calories and menu planning, have a look at our Level 2 Nutrition course.
The Food Standards Agency has launched a great new service, useful to both food businesses and customers. Their #AllergyAlert tool enables you to choose specific notifiable allergens, and receive an email or text alert when a product is recalled or poses an allergy risk.
We suggest that all food businesses sign up to this service to keep themselves aware of any products containing undeclared allergens and do their best to keep their food safe for customers.
Food safety training experts The Safer Food Group have released a brand-new Level 3 Food Allergy course, aimed at supervisors and managers responsible for implementing allergy safe procedures.
The online, video-based endorsed award is the first of its kind to be created for the UK food industry. The course aims to equip food operators with the vital skills required to risk assess their operations, implement safe processes and manage teams. The video and written content addresses two essential elements of food allergen management, namely prevention of cross contamination and delivery of good communications.
Academic Director, Jonathan Green, stated, ‘We are very excited to be bringing this course to our learners. Whilst consumer focus on good allergen management has increased, food operators have not necessarily been able to access adequate tools to help them put good practice and process in place.
We undertook an audit of available Food Allergy courses, and realised it was not always clear who existing allergy courses were aimed at, and what their objectives were. We created two distinct courses – a Level 2 course that specifically meets the needs of food handlers, cooks, and front of house teams, and a second, Level 3 course that helps the supervisor, manager or chef through the allergen risk assessment process and enables them to put effective solutions in place.’
This course is suitable for those responsible for ensuring safe use of allergenic ingredients in their workplace, including managers, supervisors and chefs. It is suitable for food operations in catering, hospitality, manufacturing, education, health and care settings.
The course costs £48 + vat for a single learner, but multi-purchase options are available, which allow course purchase for larger cohorts at £24 + vat per learner.
Depending on experience, studying the course itself will take approximately 4 hours. In addition, learners will use resources supplied to complete their own risk assessment and allergy policy. The course concludes with an online exam.
We recommend that learners have previously been trained in allergy awareness to Level 2. The Safer Food Group Level 2 Allergy Awareness course has been developed alongside this course, and learners who have already taken the Level 2 course will be familiar with the format, chapters and terms used. Recap material from the Level 2 course is available to Level 3 learners.
The new course is available from 4th March 2022
The course is an endorsed award, accredited by Qualifi, an Ofqual registered awarding body: ref: AFAM3SFG2022, and attracts 6 CPD learning points.
https://www.thesaferfoodgroup.com/allergy-awareness-level-3.php
Email info@thesaferfoodgroup.com for further course information or to discuss partner pricing arrangements.
Access this press release as a PDF
Predicting the future trends of the food industry is not an easy task. It is no exaggeration to say that the last 6 months have been the most unusual we have experienced. Underlined with uncertainty and fear that has invaded our home and professional lives, we have all done our best to adapt to the new circumstances and work towards a future we were not expecting.
Some sectors of the food industry have had an incredibly tough time. For instance, the number of vacancies in catering advertised in July was down 61% compared to 2019. This reflects the fallout from closed venues, reduced capacity and cancelled events. Some sectors, however, have managed to thrive. Adaptable players in food manufacture have been responsive in light of supply issues during the early stages of lockdown, choosing new products, production methods or packaging to meet the needs of a rapidly changing market.
So, how can we be more prepared for the next 12 months in the food industry? We look at three key predicted trends and consider their potential impact.
We have already seen the early signs of an upcoming government initiative to change the course of the obesity crisis. Research published by Diabetes UK has demonstrated the link between lockdown and increased rates of obesity in children, and an evidence review by Public Health England strongly suggests that outcomes of Covid-19 are worsened in obese adults.
It remains to be seen what role the food industry will play in battling the obesity crisis, but now is a great time for businesses to plan for the future and consider ways they can demonstrate their commitment to the health and well-being of their customers. These may include:
The initial stages of lockdown exposed some weaknesses in the food supply chain. However, manufacturers and food retailers worked tirelessly and effectively to get products back into stores and homes. Despite this being an unprecedented situation, that early period forced food businesses to reassess the suitability of supply processes.
A number of trends have begun to emerge from this work, and we will continue to see changes throughout the next 12 months. These changes will be emphasised by the potential supply issues caused by Brexit. The trends have included:
Now more than ever, good practice at all stages within the food chain will place businesses in the best position to take advantage of new market opportunities, maximising their potential to survive and grow.
The economic situation is undoubtedly tough for all food businesses. Nowhere is this clearer than in small businesses, which lack a corporate safety net to keep the cash flow going. However, lockdown has demonstrated how agile and adaptable small businesses have been and continue to be as the rules and landscape shift on a weekly business
Some great examples of small business agility have been:
Small businesses can suffer from higher proportional overheads without the economies of scale enjoyed by larger companies. However, they often have the benefit of entrepreneurial spirit, an adaptable and loyal staff body and the agility to change direction quickly and make change happen. In these adverse times, these skills will continue to be invaluable. As circumstances develop, the rise of small businesses is very welcome.
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