Under new food hygiene legislation from January 2006, all caterers and retail food businesses need to have a written food safety management system.
Go to Related Pages for free Safer Food, Better Business Packs to help businesses meet this requirement. The council's Environmental Health service gives free help and advice to local businesses.
Safer Sussex Food Partnership Project
During 2006-07 Eastbourne Environmental Health food safety staff worked in partnership with Lewes and Wealden councils, SOMPRITI - the Black and Minority Ethnic support agency - and consultants from CMi on the Safer Sussex Food Project to help local businesses comply with the law.
All assistance was offered free of charge as the project was funded by the group’s successful bid for £237,000 of government grant, including a three hour coaching session by a CMi consultant at each business premises.
Free Seminars and Coaching Sessions
Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) seminars and free coaching follow-up were offered to 1200 small businesses throughout the three local authority areas in Sussex during 2006-07.
The seminars explained the new legal requirement for written food safety management systems, and how these could be successfully achieved using the free SFBB pack developed by the Food Standards Agency.
At the seminars businesses received a free printed copy of the SFBB pack in a durable loose leaf folder. Further support and monitoring was then offered by food safety officers as they visit the businesses.
SOMPRITI offered specialist help for Indian, Chinese, Turkish and other restaurants and businesses in the locality.
SFBB Pilot in Local Care Homes
In 2004 Eastbourne Borough Council ran a successful pilot scheme for SFBB in 14 local care homes.
Proprietors were offered a free seminar with workshops, free materials and one to one mentoring - read our press release in Related Pages for more details.
A number of the homes had reviewed systems overall as a result. Almost all who completed the pilot valued it and said the SFBB Safe Methods were useful for inducting new staff.
