A recent shocking story from our local area has highlighted the real importance for businesses to be compliant with rules and regulations, for appropriate systems to be in place and staff to be adequeately trained.
On Christmas Day in 2012 a Mitchells & Butlers chain pub served Christmas dinner to 128 customers resulting in mother, Della Callagher, dying 2 days later and 33 being taken ill. If this story is not tragic enough it was found a year later into the investigation that the chef and manager had concocted a plan to cover their backs having failed to fill in their food safety records. The chef was sentenced for 12 months and the manager for 18 months, while Mitchells & Butlers, owner of the chain, were fined £1.5 million for placing unsafe food on the market.
The cause of the death and illnesses was Clostridium perfringens bacteria found in the turkey which was either not cooked correctly or not reheated safely. If the safety procedures and documentation were followed correctly then it is possible that these simple accidents that led to a tragic result would not have taken place. Legislation is there to protect customers as well as your business so please make sure you keep up to date with legislative requirements, that appropriate processes are in place and, perhaps most importantly, ensure your staff all have adequate training.
https://www.gov.uk/food-safety-your-responsibilities/food-safety
http://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/