Expertise in Food Safety, Health & Safety and Infectious Diseases

Food safety management systems in catering and retail businesses should be proportionate to the level of risk. If you prefer to choose a different system from the Food Standards Agency’s Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) system, we can help. We can write simple, generic HACCP plans and advise on hygiene and safety systems appropriate to your business.

If you are preparing lots of meals for vulnerable groups (such as our care home clients), your food safety management system will need to be more extensive than one, for example, for a corner cafe.

Being involved in cases as expert witnesses, we see the pitfalls facing caterers and retailers at first hand. We have seen the caterer who didn’t control allergens in a chicken tikka masala takeaway put behind bars for manslaughter. We have seen the £1.5 million fine for causing the death of a young mother from incorrect temperature control in the preparation of a Christmas dinner. Such cases are shocking and the resultant deaths were completely preventable.

Food safety management in catering and retail is easy to get right with the correct advice.

If customers know nothing else about the safety of the food they buy from you or consume on your premises they’ll know about the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS). The certificate you display – your ‘score on the door’ – tells them that at your last EHO inspection you scored . . . ?

At Moonlight Environmental we:

• see that your Food Safety Management System (FSMS) works • check you meet food hygiene regulations • work with you to achieve a top score • evaluate any problems in achieving a 5-rating • train and motivate your staff

We offer both accredited and bespoke training and, thanks to our industry-wide expertise and motivational trainers, our results are second to none.

Moonlight Environmental is a registered training centre with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, offering CIEH certified courses in food safety and workplace safety from Introductory, through Foundation to Intermediate. These are often incorporated into our consultancy packages and contribute to a positive food safety culture and higher food hygiene ratings.

From hand wash training to empowering senior management, our sessions are finely tuned to be absorbing, motivational and fun. David is internationally recognised for the quality of training he delivers, particularly in the fields of food and workplace safety. We can swiftly put together tailored courses to meet your exact needs. We specialise in providing training at clients’ premises where we integrate theory with actual practice. The result – our training has a lasting impact for your employees and on your business.

Allergen control has come into very sharp focus over the last few years. A rise in the number of people with allergy, combined with new Food Information to Consumers Regulations, means caterers and retailers are having to up their game.

Requirements for non pre-packed foods (cafes, pubs, restaurants, etc.) can be tricky to implement. Understanding the ingredients that go into a dish and communicating this to the customer requires systems and processes. We at Moonlight Environmental have the up-to-the-minute expertise to help businesses put in place all the necessary controls and systems to be effective. We can also train staff in the particular systems implemented. Indeed, David’s and Belinda’s expertise in this area was recently commissioned by the Food Standards Agency to deliver allergen enforcement training to EHOs and TSOs countrywide.

Please see our Expert Witness page.

Putting in place and maintaining robust health and safety is a legal requirement, as well as a moral imperative, for all businesses. It makes a more efficient workplace and protects you from damaging criminal and civil claims. We work with you to devise a framework and culture that values compliance through policies, practice and training.

We can help you with your company’s:
• policy statement
• risk assessments including:
   >> display screen assessments
   >> manual handling assessments
   >> COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) assessments
   >> young persons risk assessments
• workplace ergonomics
• health surveillance
• accident prevention
• RIDDOR