Rochford District Council is working closely with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to promote the food safety tools that local catering businesses can use to help them comply with food hygiene law.

The tools include the Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) initiative, which is an innovative and practical approach to food safety management.

This work is part of a UK-wide business campaign running from Monday 25 January until Monday 1 March 2010. The campaign which includes posters, adverts in trade publications and regional radio advertising, as well as promotion on the Agency’s website, targets catering businesses that supply food direct to consumers, such as restaurants, takeaways and cafes.

The purpose of the campaign is to help to support the important work that local authorities do to ensure that food businesses comply with food law. It is also to raise awareness of the tools available so that businesses have the opportunity to achieve higher ratings when the national food rating scheme “Scores on the Doors” is rolled out later in 2010.

Rochford District Council’s Head of Environmental Services Richard Evans said “The Council’s Commercial Team provides an essential service of ensuring food safety for our residents and visitors, by inspecting the 600 businesses in our District. The FSA campaign should support our enforcement service by helping businesses to raise standards and achieve a higher rating in the Scores on the Doors scheme which will be implemented as its rolled out nationally”.

For a copy of the Safer Food Better Business pack or advice on food safety, contact Rochford District Council’s Commercial Team on 01702 318045 or email environmental.health@rochford.gov.uk

Download the ‘Good Hygiene Is Good For Your Business’ leaflet from the Food Standards Agency