We understand and appreciate that operating a small food business at any time is challenging. The best way to protect your customer and your business, in the event of an emerging transmissible disease scare, is to ensure you continue to follow existing Food Management and Quality Management Systems. Staff shortages, operational difficulties and changes in demand may tempt you to drop your guard. It is vital that you continue to operate high standards of personal hygiene, cleaning, disinfection and other food safety controls as you would under normal circumstances.
Further information and guidance for SME's:
Authoritative Guides:
- WHO Coronaviruses Q&A
- WHO Commentary: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: implications for infection prevention precautions
- Food Standards Scotland Guidance for food business operators and their employees
- SOFHT Guidance to Cleaning & Disinfection Regime with respect to Coronavirus
- Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Guidance for preventing transmission of COVID-19 within food businesses - Updated guidance (2 Aug 21)Y
- Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Policy briefs on COVID-19
- Welsh Government guidance for prevention and management of COVID-19 in food plants
- Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) guidance on considerations relating to COVID-19 impact - how to operate and use building services to minimise the spread of the virus
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Ventilation actions to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 from SAGE Environment and Modelling Group *NEW*
Useful Guides:
- IFST's Guidance on Testing Individuals for Coronavirus (updated)
- IFST's Guidance on Testing Food, Packaging or Production Facilities for Coronavirus (updated)
- IFST Webinar: Coronavirus: Food Safety Risk? (Part 1 - video)
- IFST Webinar: Coronavirus: Food Safety Risk? Your Questions Answered (Part 2 - video)
- Webinar from IFST SC20 series relating to COVID-19
Written by experienced food safety experts, SALSA is a robust and effective food safety certification scheme for the UK’s smaller food producers and processors. Above all else, the SALSA scheme exists to encourage and assist small and micro businesses to implement practices and controls that produce food that is consistently safe.
SALSA approval is only granted to suppliers who are able to demonstrate to an auditor that they are able to produce safe and legal food and are committed to continually meeting the requirements of the SALSA standard. Approved suppliers can demonstrate that they operate to standards that are recognised and accepted across the industry and exceed the minimum standards expected by enforcement authorities. Our members' company profiles are visible to regional and national buyers through the SALSA Directory
The SALSA scheme aims to support, encourage and help develop small businesses as they grow - providing food safety training, an online library of technical guides and a dedicated Technical Helpline. Food businesses can also access 1-2-1 technical support from our national cohort of professionally qualified and trained mentors – simply search the Mentor Directory or call the Technical Helpline on 01295 724248 to find out more.
This section is part of our COVID-19 Knowledge Hub. IFST have created a COVID-19 Knowledge Hub to consolidate advice, practical guidance and links to resources to support individuals, smaller food businesses and larger food operations. Find out more here.
Regarding 'Track and Trace', official guidance has now been provided to prevent false positives for specific workplace scenarios when the phone is not on your person, such as when your phone is in lockers. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-workplace-guidance
Once you’ve downloaded the NHS COVID-19 app, it should be left on as much as possible. However, there are some specific workplace scenarios when the phone is not on your person, such as when your phone is in lockers when you should pause the contact tracing feature by turning off 'contact tracing' on the home screen of the NHS COVID-19 App.
You can find further guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-workplace-guidance