Food Standards Agency

Meat firms to face ‘major review’ following industry scandals

05-Mar-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

A nationwide review has revealed a need for CCTV to be installed in meat-cutting plants across the UK.

What you need to know about use-by dates

28-Feb-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

Food labelling has hit the headlines of late and The Morning Advertiser has taken a look at the rules around use-by and best-before dates.

Meat industry bodies join forces to address food hygiene concerns

21-Feb-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

The Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland and more than 10 other meat industry trade bodies met yesterday (20 February) to discuss non-compliance with food hygiene issues in the industry.

JDW meat supplier ‘heartbroken’ to go into administration

20-Feb-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

The meat supplier that supplied JD Wetherspoon is being investigated by the Food Standards Agency has gone into administration and has blamed the watchdog, claiming its action was “out of proportion to concerns identified”.

A second meat supplier recalls products

13-Feb-2018 By Huw Cross

A leading supplier of meat to pubs, bars and restaurants has recalled products after an unannounced Food Standards Agency (FSA) inspection, causing JD Wetherspoon to pull dishes from its menu again.

Food hygiene is biggest concern for diners when eating out

01-Feb-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

More than one third (36%) of consumers rate food hygiene as their main fear, according to new research.

Hungry Horse pub slapped with zero-star food hygiene rating

30-Jan-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

A Hampshire pub has received the lowest food hygiene rating available and it needs urgent improvement to the cleanliness and conditions of its facilities.

JDW meat supplier has stopped all production

29-Jan-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

The supplier of JD Wetherspoon’s meat, which was pulled from the pub chain’s menu, has had to stop all production and detain all of its products, as instructed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Steak back on the menu for JDW

26-Jan-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is putting steak back on its menus across its 900-strong estate after it was removed following "issues" at a suppliers.

Food hygiene rating key to 68% of consumers

06-Dec-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

More than two thirds (68%) of consumers choose where they will buy food from based on a venue’s food hygiene rating, according to new research.

Acrylamide reduction legislation will come into force next April

29-Nov-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Food businesses in the UK such as pubs will have to put practical steps in place to manage acrylamide -
a potential carcinogen - within their food safety management systems under new EU legislation.

FSA ramps up Scores on the Doors activity before Christmas

06-Nov-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is encouraging consumers to check pubs’ Food Hygiene Ratings before booking Christmas parties.

Why pub chefs should never wash meat

01-Nov-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Pub chefs should not wash raw meat due to a risk of contamination in the kitchen, according the food safety experts.

Staffordshire pub receives zero food hygiene rating

12-Oct-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

A Staffordshire pub has been given a zero food hygiene rating due to inadequately trained staff and lack of a documented food safety management system.

10% of London food venues require food hygiene improvements

26-Sep-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Some 6,712 (10.1%) London food establishments, including pubs, have a food hygiene rating of two or fewer, according to experts.

Councils demand food-hygiene display is mandatory

11-Sep-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Food pubs will be forced to display their hygiene ratings if councils’ demands for a change in the law are met by the Government.

App launched to eliminate allergen incidents in pubs

10-Aug-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

A technology company has released a new app to help eliminate allergen-related incidents in pubs.

Pubs warned to check eggs as Fipronil contamination scandal worsens

10-Aug-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Operators have been urged to check the source of their eggs as the number believed to have been contaminated with Fipronil increased from an estimate of 21,000 to 700,000, a 3,233% rise.

Number of contaminated eggs found in the UK

09-Aug-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

A small number of eggs containing an insecticide have been distributed to the UK from the farms affected in the Netherlands, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

We're at risk of another horsemeat scandal

19-Jul-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Unless every part of the food chain remains vigilant, the UK food industry is at risk of another horsemeat scandal, a top expert has warned.

Pub food safety failings of 2016/17

19-Jun-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Poor food hygiene is a sure fire way for your pub to make the headlines for all of the wrong reasons. Here, we look at 10 of the worst food safety failings in pubs from the past 18 months. 

How to avoid campylobacter in pub kitchens

15-Jun-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has released guidance on reducing the risk of campylobacter after a survey revealed the levels of the food bug in chicken have declined.

Fines and prison sentences for operators selling out-of-date food

08-Jun-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Selling out-of-date food could land operators in jail or with fines, after one food business was contacted by Trading Standards, and claimed it was making food unfit for human consumption.

Food Hygiene Ratings now more important to consumers

25-Apr-2017 By Michelle Perrett

Cleanliness and hygiene are major influences on where consumers choose to eat out, according to a report from the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Pubs charged for food hygiene re-inspections

20-Mar-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Pubs could be made to pay for requested re-inspections of their businesses under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS), the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced.

Food safety controls to be ramped up by local authorities

16-Mar-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Food safeguards and allergen protection for consumers will be moved up a gear by local authorities, and will be core to delivering a better system of control to ensure a higher level of confidence in UK food.

Top food pub slapped with one-star food hygiene rating

09-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

A Michelin-starred gastropub has been given one of the lowest possible ratings for food hygiene.

Mitchells & Butlers apologises to ‘mocked’ job candidate

09-Feb-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Mitchells & Butlers has apologised to an interviewee who was ‘mocked’ in a text message when applying for a job at its Miller & Carter steakhouse format. 

Pubs warned customers 'will leave in droves' over food hygiene ratings

07-Feb-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

Pubs and restaurant that fail to achieve good food hygiene ratings should be prepared to lose customers to their competition, new research warns. 

Ex-licensee hit with bill for almost £3,700 over pub “ingrained with dirt and grease”

03-Feb-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

A former licensee was slapped with a £1,600 fine and ordered to pay more than £2,000 in costs after environmental health officers discovered dozens of food hygiene violations at his pub. 

FOOD HYGIENE

'Dirty and greasy' pub fined £2.5k for food hygiene violations

22-Dec-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A pub was slapped with a £2,500 bill after environmental health officers discovered a range of potentially dangerous food safety violations. 

Food safety

Rare burger crippling health risk warning

13-Dec-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

A food safety watchdog has warned of the crippling health threats undercooked burgers can cause now that the category is in steep growth and as a result of more consumers specifying how their burgers should be cooked.

Pest control

Mouse spotted in JDW pub

08-Dec-2016 By Nikkie Sutton

Pest-control operators were called to a JDW pub in Kent after a mouse was seen scurrying across the floor.

ONLINE REVIEWS

Customer 'tried to blackmail' pub with TripAdvisor food poisoning allegation, claims licensee

06-Dec-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A licensee has told of his outrage after a customer who was refused a refund left a negative review claiming to have come down with food poisoning in retaliation. 

Food safety

‘Food fraud will hit profits and customer trust,’ pubs warned

02-Nov-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Pubs and other food-serving businesses have been urged to be vigilant and protect themselves and consumers against the growing crime of food fraud.

FOOD HYGIENE

'Absolutely disgusting' pub and hotel slapped with £1,900 food hygiene fine

27-Oct-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

The licensees of a Blackpool pub and hotel have been fined after environmental health officers discovered a slew of food hygiene offences.

Food safety

‘Negative disadvantage’ for pubs forced to display hygiene ratings

21-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

English food-serving pubs forced to display the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) hygiene ratings may suffer and those with lower scores will face a negative disadvantage, a trade boss has warned.

Food safety

English pubs could soon be forced to display hygiene ratings

19-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Displaying the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Food Hygiene Ratings could be mandatory for pubs in England soon, The Morning Advertiser (MA) understands.

Food Hygiene

Mitchells & Butlers helping FSA develop Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

30-Sep-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Mitchells and Butlers (M&B) is testing the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) new food hygiene scheme, which aims to ease pressure on resource-strapped local authorities, improve food safety and adapt the current Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.

Food safety

How food hygiene ratings can help your business

07-Sep-2016 By Poppleston Allen

Marketing that you are 5 point rated for food hygiene may be as good as a high-quality menu offer.

FOOD SAFETY

Zero-star food hygiene ratings significantly down across pub sector

02-Sep-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

The number of pubs given the lowest possible food hygiene rating by the Food Standards Agency has consistently dropped over the past four years, new data reveals.

Food safety

Barbecue pub slams “nanny state” after zero food hygiene rating

30-Aug-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A Surrey pub has spoken out against the “modern nanny state” after receiving a zero food hygiene rating.

Health and safety

'Infested' JD Wetherspoon pub will not reopen

01-Aug-2016 By Nikkie Sutton

A Wetherspoon's pub that closed last month (July) due to a “pest infestation” will not reopen, the pubco has announced.

Health and safety

'Pest infestation' forces Wetherspoon's to shut

21-Jul-2016 By Nikkie Sutton

The William White pub in Nuneaton has closed its doors following a pest control problem - but pubco JD Wetherspoon is unsure when the pub will reopen.

Food safety

Brexit: EU allergen rules 'not going anywhere'

12-Jul-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Licensees should not expect allergen legislation handed down from Brussels to change in the near future, despite Britain’s impending exit from the European Union, a leading food-safety expert has stressed.

Food safety

New food safety guidelines after grandmother ‘dies of suspected food poisoning’

06-Jul-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Food safety and hygiene experts are set to reveal a nationally recognised guide to legal hygiene practices, days after a woman died of suspected food poisoning linked to eating at a pub carvery.

Licensee 'devastated' to receive one-star food hygiene rating for rare burgers

28-Jun-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A Surrey licensee was furious when his Food Hygiene Rating was dropped from 5 to 1 by the local council for serving rare burgers.

Legal Advice

Allergens: Remember, it affects drinks too

02-Jun-2016 By Poppleston Allen

You’ve no doubt noticed the current boom in brewing, with so-called ‘craft beers’ with their cool names, fashionable branding and, more often than not, premium pricing, being a major driver for this growth.

FOOD SAFETY

Restaurateur peanut manslaughter case 'serious warning' for pubs

25-May-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A restaurateur's conviction of manslaughter by gross negligence should be a "serious warning" when it comes to food safety, leading experts have warned.

FOOD SAFETY

New food safety guidelines launched in wake of peanut allergy death

24-May-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

The British Hospitality Association (BHA), in association with food safety experts, has launched a new industry guide designed to help food businesses avoid potentially dangerous slip-ups.