Gabi Shepherd

Protection of public health is the key principle underpinning the work of Environmental Health Practitioners (EHP) whether that is investigating a food poisoning outbreak or accident at work, through to noise problems, housing issues and contamination of the environment.

At Ludlow Food Hygiene Centre, we are an Independent High Quality Compliance  Training Course Provider. Based in Shropshire, we can fulfil your training requirements nationwide. We are able to provide accredited training and certificates from IOSH and other providers which will help demonstrate your company due diligence.

To find out more information please contact us:
Ludlow Food Hygiene Centre
Gabi Shepherd
Ludlow, Shropshire
info@ludlowfoodhygienecentre.co.uk

Dear friends,

I hope you are all enjoying the spring and have been busy and safe while I have been away.

After our busiest ever period of courses in January and February, I finally flew off for Tanzania on the 8th March to continue with the Msasani school project and find some sun! I spent two months in this beautiful country, and I am now in my eighth year of volunteering, a hobby I love.

During my stay, my partner and I reviewed the school kitchen at the Msasani school we helped to build last year (with the help of a donation from Ludlow Rotary Club). We researched a possible grant application for Rotary International, visited 6 schools, met with architects and builders, called at a dozen building merchants, attended 5 meetings (one involved lots of beer!) and even managed a 2-day safari! I met new friends and caught up with old ones, I cried a few times (mainly at the poverty and knowing that I can’t help everyone) but I also laughed a lot, learning many things and forming friendships with new people.

Out of the 7 schools I saw, 5 of them I visited through the help of Childreach (http://www.childreachtz.org/). This charity helped me in researching safe hand-washing and toilet facilities that would be suitable for the Msasani schoolchildren. I planned to deliver handwashing training to the children once the facilities had been installed, as well as food hygiene training to all of the catering staff. However, some things just don’t go to plan, this is Africa after all! Another excuse to return back to you all ASAP.  

Hand Washing Photo (me testing it!)

This simple device allows handwashing for up to 22 children at a time, and miraculously only uses a minimum amount of water ( 1 bucket provides cleansing for up to 100 children). For Tanzania, a country with long periods of drought, this was unquestionably what made us decide to use the device for our Msasani school project.

At one of our many Rotary meetings, I met Stephen, a teacher from a secondary school in the Kilimanjaro region.  He was so passionate about providing good hygiene practices for his senior pupils that I decided to give him some training materials to help. Unfortunately, I just did not have the time on this trip to deliver the training myself at his school. His wife Katherine, also a teacher, translated the poster I provided into Swahili for his classroom, and sent me a video of their presentation. Humbled by their proactive attitude, LFHC aims to now help Stephen’s school in 2018 by providing the same handwashing facilities we have chosen for Msasani, and to deliver more hygiene training to all 400 pupils and staff.

Photo: School Teacher Stephen  with the translated handwashing poster including  the Handwashing system

As well as International Community Support, LFHC also supports local community projects, including the Festival of Small Gardens in Ludlow (2nd July), and Ludlow Dog Day ( 23rd July) :

http://festivalofsmallgardens.co.uk/

http://www.ludlowdogday.org.uk/

More LFHC news

To give value to our clients we are now offering a complimentary First Aid at Work First Aid Kit to all ‘in house’ First Aid course bookings ? don’t forget that as we are an independent Training provider, we can be flexible and deliver any course when it is convenient to your business – that’s week days, weekends, evenings or whenever!  Contact 01584 875818 for more details.

We are also providing complimentary 1 hour consultations on Health and Safety, Food Hygiene and licensing with no strings attached.

Our Alcohol Personal Licence (APLH) courses are now also available via eLearning as well as open courses and 1-1s.  Need a premises licence? we can act as your agent and submit your application Visit www.ludlowfoodhygienecentre.co.uk for more information.

For a more comprehensive list of available dates for training at your premises, from just £295 for up to 12 candidates, contact 01594875818.  

Open courses coming up in Ludlow to Telford!   To Book call  01584 875818 on online at : www.ludlowfoodhygienecentre.co.uk  or eventbrite! 

Level 2 Food Hygiene May 30th, June 12th,

Level 2 Personal Alcohol Licence (APLH) 20th June

Level 2 Emergency First Aid at Work 21st June

Level 3 Food Hygiene for Supervisors in Catering 26th ,27th and 28th June (option for 2 day with course work)

IOSH Managing Safely   3rd ,4th, 10th and 11th July (Telford)  

Please enquire if you require Paediatric First Aid courses or  Fire Warden Training

I hope to see you soon – as always, it’s a pleasure doing business with you!

Gabi ?

Gluten Free Compliance: Are you Gluten compliant?

On the 20 July 2016, Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 came into force on the requirements for the provision of information to consumers on the absence or reduced presence in food.
The change focuses on the ‘gluten free’ and ‘very low gluten’ labels currently in use. Under the new rules, manufacturers and caterers will no longer be able to use the phrase ‘no gluten-containing ingredients’ (NGCI); ‘gluten free’ and ‘very low gluten’ labelling rules will remain unchanged.

Caterers and manufacturers typically use the NGCI label when they cannot guarantee the absence of gluten as a result of cross contamination.
Under the rules, to label something as ‘gluten free’ it must not contain more than 20 parts per million gluten and to label something as ‘very low gluten’ it must not contain more than 100 parts per million gluten.
The law on gluten-free applies to foods sold pre-packed and those sold in catering establishments. To label gluten-free you need to be sure that the dishes you are serving contain no more than 20 parts per million of gluten. https://www.coeliac.org.uk/glossary/parts-per-million/?destination=/food-industry-professionals/gluten-free-and-the-law/catering-and-the-law/ This does not mean that you need to test every meal, but spot testing can be useful to check that the processes you have in place to produce gluten-free meals are effective.
It is possible to produce gluten-free foods, simply follow the advice below:
Choosing and using the right ingredients: ensure you use the right ingredients, from reputable suppliers.
Storage: store ingredients and finished dishes correctly to avoid cross contamination.
Preparation: control the risks of cross contamination at all stages of preparation, for example using clean oil for frying, clean water for boiling, clean surfaces, etc.
Cleaning: clean utensils and surfaces.
Personal hygiene: wash hands thoroughly between using gluten-containing and gluten-free ingredients.
Communication: ensure there is a system in place to that customers are provided with correct information.
Training: provide training to all staff on all aspects of preparation and serving of gluten-free food.
Due diligence and validation: you must ensure that processes, documentation and training are kept up to date and that regular checks are carried out.
Complaints: record and investigate all customer complaints
To find out how Ludlow Food Hygiene can help you meet regulatory requirements contact us on 01584 875818 or 07985672722 or info@www.ludlowfoodhygienecentre.co.uk

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS)

The FHRS is a score given to Food Business Operators (FBO) by the local Environmental Health officer (EHO) The scheme is run by local authorities in England, Northern Ireland and Wales and applies to restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways, hotels, supermarkets and other food shops.
When you register your Food or beverage business (you should do this at least 28 days before your start trading,) http://bit.ly/2bx6Ix5 you will be sent out a form that you will need to fill in to ‘risk rate’ your business. Once received by your local EHP they will then want to visit you, normally their first visit is an advisory one (however it is always best to check) this should help you to understand what you need to be safe and compliant and they will want to check all food handlers are trained in food hygiene.
When the EHP conducts a FHRS on your premises they are inspecting and auditing your processes and premises, structure, staff and Food Management system (HACCP) to ascertain if you reach standards. When scoring the EHP refers to a scoring matrix to ensure consistency in scores. The production, processing, distribution, retail, packaging and labelling of food stuffs are governed by a mass of laws, regulations, codes of practice and guidance http://bit.ly/1G52mVi

The display of the score is mandatory in Wales and Northern Ireland and I believe it is only a matter of time it will be mandatory here too.

If you are a Food Business Operator (FBO) ensure you obtain a 5*****rating to claim your complimentary 1 hour inspection click here for Chartered Institute of Environmental Health accredited Training courses visit: https://www.ludlowfoodhygienecentre.co.uk/course-dates/food-hygiene/ please comment and share.