The NEW (2010 edition) Licensed Trade Guide available now.- October 30th, 2010

The NEW (2010 edition) Licensed Trade Guide for The Licensing Act 2003 is a revision of the handy pocket-sized (15cm x 10.5cm) easy reference tool, much loved by licensees, police officers and enforcement officials alike. It provides some basic guidelines to the areas where difficulty most frequently arises and is written in easy to read bite-sized chunks…with pictures.

To get your copy please visit the Poppleston Allen website

“Gloved hands or not Gloved hands” in food preparation areas. - October 29th, 2010

Our view that wearing gloves has limited effectiveness in most catering situations, seems to be supported by six researchers, who analysed food safety studies as far back as the 1930s, who found that gloved hands can contribute as much if not more bacteria to food …more

LATEST ISSUE OF FSA E-NEWS AVAILABLE ONLINE. October 27th, 2010

The latest edition of the Food Standards Agency E-News is now available.

“The report focuses on specific areas of the Agency’s scientific work over the past year and highlights progress in areas where the foods we eat can impact upon public health.”

These include:  tackling foodborne disease with particular emphasis on work carried out to identify the source of campylobacter contamination across the food chain and the development of a new Campylobacter Risk Management Programme and the progress on food hygiene delivery and the creation of more risk-based, proportionate official controls on meat among other topics. To view the publication online follow the link

Plastic or wood cutting boards- that is the question- new study- October 25th, 2010

With recurring scares on salmonella outbreaks and food borne infections, an important and somewhat surprising study has shown that wood, rather than plastic, is the safest material for a cutting board used in the kitchen. The study was conducted by Dean O. Cliver, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Food Safety at the University of California, Davis. Plastic would seem to be safer because it provides a water resistant, nonporous surface. On the contrary, he found that wood pulls the bacteria beneath the surface of the cutting board, where it eventually dies off. So the message is clear, wood is the safer choice for kitchen cutting boards. Plastic is often incorrectly assumed to be a safe choice because the surface of a plastic cutting board doesn’t absorb liquid, like a wood one does. That difference is actually why wood is better: 1. Plastic doesn’t absorb water so moisture collects and stays longer in cut marks – allowing bacteria to grow. 2. Wood absorbs moisture, which speeds up the drying process. When the moisture is gone, bacteria die. Dr. Cliver, who has been studying this issue since the late 90’s, found that even old wood cutting boards with deep grooves had low bacterial levels, similar to what was found with new boards. He found that the bacteria never reappear on the surface of wood cutting boards, even after they have been used many times with sharp blades. While relatively new plastic cutting boards can be cleaned and disinfected to the point where few bacteria remain, the same cannot be said for the typical knife-scarred plastic cutting board used in a kitchen. With knife-scarred plastic cutting boards, Dr. Cliver and his team typically found bacteria in the knife grooves. They also determined that dishwashers didn’t eliminate the problem. Cleaning with disinfectants such as chlorine bleach also failed to kill residual bacteria hiding in the grooves. Dr. Clivers experiments have been questioned by government scientists but after replicating his research, both the USDA and the FDA have changed their food preparation recommendations to include cutting boards made of maple or other hard wood surfaces. However, please note that safety improvements gained by using wood are negated if the board isn’t cleaned properly (as appropriate for any type of cutting board)– AFTER EACH USE. for more…..

Alcohol Concern calls for end of ‘pocket money’ alcohol October 24th, 2010

A call has made for an end to the “pocket money” price of shop-bought alcohol fuelling under-age drinking.

Alcohol Concern Cymru said shop deals mean the weekly recommended alcohol limit for a man can be bought for less than £4 and a woman’s for under £3.

For more………….