Food sampling is one of the most effective ways of protecting yourself and your clients from the protential hazards involved in handling and preparing food. Not only does it allow caterers to monitor bacterial levels in their kitchens and prevent contaminated food reaching their customers, it also gives them with a defence should they be implicated in a food safety investigation.
The law recognises that proving liability or innocence in these cases is a difficult task. In fact, the only acceptable defence available to a caterer facing prosecution is for them to show 'due diligence', a principle established by the Food Safety Act of 1990.
In effect, this puts the onus on the defendant to demonstrate that they have installed and used an effective, well-documented detection and rejection system to prevent contaminated food reaching their customers. It is then up to the courts to decide what is a 'reasonable' level of care, taking into account good trade practice, Industry Hygiene Guides and the risk and consequences in relation to cost.
Regulation in 1995 led to the introduction of HACCP (Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points) as a legal requirement in every catering establishment. This requires caterers to put in place a system that effectively addresses all the potential danger points in the process of handling, storing and serving of food.
One of the UK's largest independent contract caterers, Charlton House Catering Services, has been using the Samplex system of food sampling as part of their routine safety procedures for a number of years, and their Health and Safety Manager, Alan Barnett, explained why they consider it to be so important.
"Contract catering has changed enormously," said Alan. "Now a much higher level of service is required and broader legislation means that there's a huge new emphasis on food safety."
Charlton produces around 35,000 meals each day, from 85 different units, and serves organisations including government offices, Sony and even the staff at Claridges Hotel.
"Hazard analysis is essential - we even audit and monitor our suppliers - but we want to stay one step ahead by pre-empting future legislation. Food sampling may not be a legal requirement yet, but it's an important part of our food safety policy and one that provides information we couldn't obtain any other way."
It could be a vital part of a 'due diligence' defence, should a prosecution be faced.
Alan explained how the system works in Charlton's kitchens: "Our policy is to take 100 gm samples from all high risk foods and from meals prepared for service directly to the public. These are stored, chilled, for 48 hours, then frozen and kept for a further 12 days. We send random samples for analysis and keep the rest for testing should they be required."
Part of the due diligence defence is the ability to provide documentation to support a claim and the added value of the Samplex storage bags used by Charlton is that all the essential information about the sample can be written directly onto the bag.
Larger 200gm Samplex bags can be used as a proactive routine monitoring strategy in high volume catering businesses. Specialised laboratories offer broad-spectrum analysis which tests for all the major pathogenetic bacteria such as salmonella, Ecoli, campylobacter and staphylococcus aureus and can ensure that other microbes such as coliforms and Bacillis cereus are within permitted limits.
The Samplex system, devised by kitchen packaging specialists Rhinopac, was originally developed in response to a seriously urgent need amongst caterers in the travel industry, who were increasingly targeted in food poisoning claims. Samplex supplies pouches in two sizes - a 200gm capacity for broad-spectrum analysis by specialist laboratories and a smaller 100gm size more suitable for in-house storage. They are self-sealing, with a write-on panel and are made in conditions which apply to UK, EC, FDA regulations. Compartmented storage trays are available to organise the storage of samples which can then be refrigerated or frozen.
Alan said: "There's a greater demand for quality at all levels and making food safety a top priority is a very obvious part of providing a service that meets the exacting standards required."
Rhinopac