Starting a Food Business from Home

Starting a food business from home can be a rewarding business venture. However, it is only for those committed to maintaining the highest level of hygiene and food safety. Producing food in your home for many people to eat is a serious undertaking. It is not the same as cooking for the family! You will be entering into a highly regulated business area with serious legal obligations. Food business operators are legally responsible for producing food that is safe.

 

Food Hygiene Legislation

Operating a food business from home does not exempt your business from the requirements of the food hygiene legislation (Regulation EC 852/2004). This legislation sets out requirements for:

• Registration of the business with the Health Service Executive (HSE).
• Hygiene rules to be complied with.
• Training.
• Food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control points) to ensure the production of safe food.
• Traceability systems and recall procedures in the event of unsafe food being placed on the market.

Where food of animal origin, e.g. meat, poultry, eggs, fish, unpasteurised milk, is being processed, you may also need to comply with the legislation setting down specific hygiene rules for foods of animal origin (Regulation 853/2004). In some cases, the business may require approval by the HSE.

You should contact your local HSE office as soon as possible to check if your home is suitable for the intended food business activities. Contact details for local HSE offices are available HERE (Contact details if you’ve made a complaint about a food business and want to follow it up with the local food inspector, or if you need to register your business).

 

Additional Legislation

Compliance with additional legislation may be required depending on the type of product which you intend to make, e.g. labelling, additives, marketing standards for eggs, nutrition and health claims etc.

Full details of all food legislation can be found on FSAI website page Food Legislation.

 

Possible Pitfalls when Operating a Food Business from Home

Starting a food business from home can present specific problems that you should be aware of.

1) Food can become contaminated due to:

• Normal domestic activities – there must be proper segregation of business and domestic food preparation and activities.
• Poor hygiene – not washing hands properly or frequently enough, particularly after using the toilet, handling refuse etc., dirty cloths and tea towels, poor cleaning. practices, dirty equipment/utensils etc.
• Working when ill, particularly when suffering from vomiting/diarrhoea, infected skin wounds, flu, coughing and infections of the mouth, throat, eyes or ears.
• Changing/feeding babies in food preparation areas.
• People or pets entering food preparation areas.
• Facilities being too small.

2) Production of too much food for the size of the area.

3) Insufficient/unsuitable refrigerator space to keep food chilled.

4) Lack of equipment necessary to cool food fast enough after cooking.

5) The type of food being produced or the process involved presents too high a risk to take place safely in a domestic kitchen.

6) Food may be supplied to a vulnerable group, e.g. babies and young children, pregnant women and the elderly.

 

Food Labelling

Food which is prepacked by the manufacturer before being brought for sale at a farmers market or other food stall is subject to the full labelling rules. All of the mandatory information, must then appear on the product label. More information on what is required to be declared on the label is available in FSAI factsheet Food Information for Consumers at Markets Operated by Country Markets Limited. These rules also apply where it is intended to sell your produce in local retail premises.

 

Additional food safety related useful information can be found on FSAI website.

 

Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

Are there Food Safety Requirements for a Childcare Provider?

The Environmental Health Association of Ireland (EHAI) recommends that where a childcare service provides food to children, relevant staff are required to have food safety training.

The childcare provider needs to have a HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point) Food Safety System in place.

 

Your food safety management system allows you to identify and control any hazards that could pose a danger to the preparation of safe food. It helps you to:

 

• identify what can go wrong
• plan to prevent it
• make sure you are doing it.

 

According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), If you are responsible for developing and maintaining your business’s HACCP based procedures then you must undertake adequate training in the application of HACCP principles.

 

 

What Level of Food Safety Training Do Our Staff Need?

 

Food Safety HACCP Level 1

The Food Safety (HACCP) Level 1 course is ideal for those with no previous experience, with light food handling duties and/or performing low-risk duties (such as waiters, baristas, caregivers, kitchen porters, deli shop assistants, etc.). 

 

Food Safety HACCP Level 2

This is the recommended level for all food handlers, or those working in a kitchen setting, who do not have management responsibility for HACCP.

 

Food Safety HACCP Level 3

Food Safety HACCP Level 3 defines food safety skills for management and is aimed specifically towards Catering Managers, Supervisors, Executive and Head Chefs within the Hospitality Industry, Industrial and Institutional Catering Units, along with the Health Sector, Retail Sector and Delis.There should be at least one food worker with Food Safety HACCP Level 3 on duty in a food premises. 

 

Managers, Owners, need to be able to manage HACCP systems. They should also have a good understanding of how to implement a HACCP Programme for their workplace. All food businesses are required by law to have a food safety management system in place based on the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point).

 

What Can Myelearnsafety Do for You?

Contact Myelearnsafety, HACCP Food Safety Training Consultants can be contacted for free HACCP Food Safety Advice and Guidance.

 

Telephone the office @ 01 278 1938 – As for Shane or Cormac

Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults

Vulnerable adults are those who are restricted in capacity to guard themselves against harm or exploitation. All persons have the right to be safe and to live a life free from abuse and/or neglect, regardless of their circumstances of gender, age etc.  The term ‘safeguarding’ in the context of these standards means putting measures in place in services to reduce the risk of harm, to promote people’s human rights, health and wellbeing, and empowering people to protect themselves.

Elder abuse defined

Elder Abuse is defined as a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person or violates their human and civil rights. (Protecting our Future, Report of the Working Group on Elder Abuse, September 2002). Sixty five years of age is taken as the point beyond which abuse may be considered to be elder abuse.

Source – Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection 

The HSE Health Act Regulations

Health Act Regulations, 2013. This policy applies to older persons or persons with a disability that, as a result of physical or intellectual impairment, may be at risk of abuse. The person may be in receipt of a care service in his or her own home, in the community or be resident in a residential care home, nursing home or other setting. Equally, the person may not be in receipt of a care service.

Some of the principles underpinning the policy include:

• Respect for human rights
• A person centred approached to care and services
• Promotion of advocacy
• Respect for confidentially
• Empowerment of individuals
• A collaborative approach

Source – HSE 

Types of abuse

• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Psychological abuse
• Financial abuse
• Institutional abuse
• Neglect
• Discriminatory abuse

 

World Elder Abuse Day

On the 15th of this month (June 2019) it was World Elder Abuse Day. This day was first introduced back in 2006 and it was to bring attention to the issue of elder abuse in our global society and as a public health and humans rights concern.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day provides an opportunity for all of us to focus our attention on elder abuse. It challenges each one of us to redouble efforts to promote respect and dignity for all older people and to help eradicate abuse of older people. Everybody has a role to play and the challenges posed by elder abuse cannot be met solely by any one individual, organisation, or state body, it is all our responsibilities.

 

Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults Course

We at MyElearnSafety want to be part of the solution to this type of abuse so we are created a Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults Course . This course will enable service users to understand fully what safeguarding a vulnerable adult entails: What is  a vulnerable adult? What constitutes abuse? How to respond to signs of abuse; How to respond to concerns of an elderly person who may have suffered abused.

Our ‘Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults’ course is approved by the Irish Association of Healthcare Assistants (IAHA).

Fire Safety in Hospitality

Section 11 of the 2005 Act states that employers are required to prepare and revise adequate emergency plans and procedures and provide the necessary measures for fire fighting and the evacuation of the workplace. Consideration for all employees and anyone connected with the workplace must form part of how an employer addresses the area of safety health and welfare and specifically the provision of emergency access and egress.

Soure – HSA 

Fire safety equipment and systems

All hotels, bars, restaurants, catering etc..  should be equipped with suitable fire safety equipment.

Smoke Detectors

When you have a bigger property, most jurisdictions require that you have an automated centralized smoke detector that integrates all smoke detectors in each location with a master panel. This alerts the staff to immediately identify where a smoke detector has activated and take steps of action without delay.

Fire Extinguishers

ABC fire extinguishers are multi-purpose and are the most commonly sold fire extinguishers for businesses and commercial properties. What does the ABC stand for? They are classes of what type of fires that fire extinguisher can put out:

• Class A – fires from wood, cloth, paper, plastic, etc.
• Class B – fires from flammable liquids like gasoline
• Class C – electrical fires from wiring and appliances

Sprinkler Systems

According to Engineers Ireland comprehensive report, Systems designed to BS 9251 are primarily for the protection of life and not intended for the protection of property or commercial risks. Sprinkler Systems are usually required as a means of demonstrating compliance with Building Regulations. However, there may also be occasions where a Sprinkler System is installed to compensate where a building is unable to achieve compliance with building regulations, for example;

• New / Older buildings where the minimum fire resistance cannot be achieved
• Buildings that cannot meet the access requirements for fire appliances
• Attic conversions where adequate secure escape is not practical or possible

Evacuation plan

All hospitality sectors need to have an emergency evacuation plan. A route must be laid out and that route must never at any stage be blocked or obstructed. Regardless of the location of a fire, once people are aware of it, they should be able to proceed safely along a recognisable escape route, to a place of safety.

If the premises is small and has a simple layout, the normal entrances and exits may be sufficient. There should be no possibility of anyone being cut off by smoke or flames before they can make their escape.

Competent Person

All premises need to have an assigned fire warden or a competent person to maintain all the fire safety equipment  – Smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems & evacuation paths. They are in charge of;

• How the system works
• When is maintenance carried out, and provisions for arranging access
• Who should be contacted for immediate repair if the system goes wrong
• In addition details of what was agreed for the sprinkler system at fire safety certificate stage should be kept available for consultation

Take a look at our Fire Safety Awareness course overview here.

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

New Partnership Announcement with IAHA

We are very happy to announce a new partnership with with Irish Association of Healthcare Assistances (IAHA).

IAHA

The Irish Association of Healthcare Assistants is the professional body for Healthcare Assistants (HCAs.)

Their aim is to elevate the professional standard and performance of HCAs through a formal recognised qualification (QQI Level 5), continued professional development and advocacy. They believe this is achieved through fostering high standards of professional conduct, training and competence. The IAHA  strives to ensure that HCAs are included as valued members of the nursing team.

They appreciate that Healthcare assistants and clinical support workers have started to undertake advanced roles; Venepuncture, Urinalysis, Oxygen Therapy, Safe Administration of Medication, Wound dressings, Vital Sign & Blood Glucose Checks – list is endless. The IAHA support their professional development through governance guidelines and having the necessary structures, processes, standards and oversight in place to ensure that safe, person centred and effective services are delivered.

My Elearn Safety are proud to be partnered with a company who strive to elevate this standard of Healthcare and we look forward to working closely with them for the foreseeable future.

Do you know what “The Big 8” food allergies are?

“The Big 8” food allergens

If you work in the food business it’s important that you are aware of potential food allergens of any of your customers.

There is a group of the major allergens in food which is known as the “The Big 8”. These * allergens include;

• Milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Other nuts
• Peanuts
• Fish
• Wheat
• Soya
• Crustaceans  (Crabs, prawns, lobsters)

14 allergens under Irish Legislation

These eight allergens account for about 90% of allergic reactions, however by law in Ireland there are 14 allergens that must be declared, the other 6 allergens added to The Big 8 listed above are;

• Celery
• Mustard
• Sesame seeds
• Sulphur dioxide (at concentrates higher than 10mg/kg)
• Lupin
• Molluscs (Mussels, oysters, squid, snails)

Kiwi and Strawberry fruit is also becoming a more frequent allergen but still 10 times less common than the main ones: milk, eggs and peanuts. Of course there are many other allergens that cause problems for people however under legislation you are only required to list the above common 14, all other allergens are not covered by allergen labelling requirements.

Allergen information requirements

In Ireland, Allergen information must:

• Be provided in written form in English or in Irish and English
• Be easily located and accessible before the sale or supply of the food – customers must have the information before buying and must not have to ask for the information
• Relate directly to a food or beverage so there is no confusion about which food it relates to. It is not acceptable to say ‘Our food contains…’. You must identify the exact food e.g. ‘spaghetti bolognaise – contains milk, celery, wheat’
• Be in a legible handwritten or printed format

 

Source – FSAI

If you have any furhter questions or are interested in learning more about food safety, please contact us on+353 1 278 1938 and we will be happy to help you!

Did you know? Hospitality Hand Hygiene

Did you know?

Germs spread more quickly than you think. Most are passed from hand to hand. Careful hand hygiene is the most important means of defence against contagious diseases.

Hand hygiene is so important! Approximately 80% of all contagious diseases are transmitted via our hands – that figure comes from the World Health Organisation (WHO). This includes, for example, diseases like colds, flu and stomach bugs. “The germs themselves do not present a direct health risk on your hands and fingers,” explained Prof. Dr. med. Klaus-Dieter Zastrow, a specialist in hygiene and environmental medicine and Head of the REGIOMED-KLINIKEN hygiene institute in Coburg, Germany. “However, most people touch their mouth, nose and eyes regularly – putting their hands to their face up to five times an hour. This allows the germs to enter the body unimpeded via the mucous membranes.” Many studies have investigated and confirmed that hand-washing truly helps reduce the occurrence of contagious diseases. On the basis of different studies, it is estimated that thorough washing of hands with soap and water almost halves the risk of disease.

In Ireland, The Public Service Sick Leave Statistics for 2017 show the rate of sick leave at 4% and on average 8.8 working days were taken per full-time employee in the Public Service.

The overall cost of sick leave is estimated at €341.5 million for 2017.

German companies incur costs of around €130 billion a year due to employee sickness. That works out about €3,600 per person.

• 90% of colds are caused by viruses.
• Flu viruses can remain active on surfaces for 48 hours.
• 80% of all contagious diseases are transmitted via our hands.

You can slash the risk of catching a cold virus by 50% simply by washing your hands.