Shieldyourself MD interviewed on BBC Radio

(I-Newswire) August 24, 2009 - Mark Flanagan, Managing Director of Manchester health and safety, food safety and fire safety consultancy, Shieldyourself, discussed the Scores on the Doors scheme when he made a guest appearance on the BBC's 5 Live Radio Show recently.

Mark, a former Environmental Health Inspector, was invited on the show to comment on the well publicised E.coli outbreak at a Wrexham chip shop earlier this month (August).

"The reports have said that the chip shop in question got the lowest possible rating of zero stars in an environmental health inspection last summer," Mark explained.

"The star rating refers to the Scores on the Doors scheme, a government backed initiative aimed at encouraging improvements in food hygiene by naming and shaming food businesses which get a low rating while rewarding those who show high compliance levels.

"To receive the lowest rating of zero stars indicates very poor food hygiene conditions, no Food Safety Management System and major non-compliance with food legislation but unfortunately the businesses have no legal obligation to display their rating in a prominent position for customers to see," Mark stated.

The Scores on the Doors initiative was approved by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) in December last year with 84 local authorities in the UK having already signed up to the scheme and a further 167 planning in joining in the future.

"To achieve the top rating of five stars a business has to demonstrate very high standards of hygiene and structural compliance and they must have a documented Food Safety Management System; it is a high standard to reach but the rating could easily put your business one step ahead of its competitors," Mark continued.

"To prepare for the legislation coming into effect in other areas, Shieldyourself can provide food businesses with an in-depth audit, which provides information on the number of stars a business would achieve if Scores and the Doors were operational in their local authority.

"As the case in Wrexham highlights, prevention is the key – leaving food hygiene to chance is not only putting your business and livelihood at risk but your customers' health too," Mark concluded.

For more information on the Scores on the Doors scheme and how Shieldyourself's audits can help your business to achieve compliance please visit www.shieldyourself.co.uk or call 0870 011 8250.

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Editors Notes

A legal compliance consultancy based at Manchester Science Park, Shieldyourself focus on providing legal compliance solutions across the disciplines of health and safety, food safety and fire safety to businesses across the UK.

Shieldyourself's Scores on the Doors audit system uses criteria used by Environmental Health officers to assess a business' hygiene standards, structural compliance and food safety systems.

To reduce the possibility of inconsistency between inspection ratings and scores awarded by local authorities, all formal food hygiene inspections are carried out in accordance with a Food Standards Agency (FSA) Code of Practice. The results of inspections carried out by the local Environmental Health Officer of Food Enforcement Officer under the Scores on the Doors scheme can be viewed by the public online on www.food.gov.uk/safereating/hyg/scoresonthedoors/

The top rating of excellent/five stars is limited to businesses that have a fully integrated and working documented HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) based food safety management system which has consistently demonstrated continuing compliance with food hygiene requirements.

For further information on Shieldyourself or to arrange an interview with Mark Flanagan, Shieldyourself Managing Director, please contact Richard Dawson at Shieldyourself on r.dawson@shieldyourself.co.uk or call Richard on 0870 011 8250.

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