Resources
Data Sources
We always recommend that information relating to ingredients used in our software are obtained directly from the supplier of the ingredients. Any documentation received can be stored as files in FMS software, date stamped and retrieved at a future date, so that you have a complete audit trail. However, a useful publication is McCance and Widdowsons “Composition of Foods” which can be purchased online or downloaded as a subset from…
www.gov.uk/government/publications/composition-of-foods-integrated-dataset-cofid
Governing bodies
Usually in the UK the legislation for labelling and food hygiene is enforced by local trading standards or Environmental health officers employed by the local authority. The guidelines they all follow may be found on the FSA website, although local interpretation may vary by region.
www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/industry-specific-advice/labelling-and-allergens
We are often asked about barcodes, the varying standards and what numbers to use. If you need to register for barcode use, then information can be found by clicking the following link…
Accreditation
Various accreditations are available to food businesses, usually from specific trade organisations such as the “British Sandwich Association” or the “Federation of Bakers”. Other accreditations may be received from organisations offering auditing services, such as the “British Retail Consortium”, “Red Tractor” or “SALSA” (Safe and Local Supplier Approval). Further information can be found at…
https://www.ukas.com/sectors/food-safety/
Expertise
We have worked on many projects for various Companies which often involve liaising with various specialists and consultants with expertise in different fields, ranging from food and drink, business development to IT. We have accumulated a pool of people that we trust, can rely on and would feel happy to recommend.
We also work with some of the best suppliers in the business, companies that supply products that work with and complement our own, enabling us to stay focused on what we are good at.
We have a number of technical documents available to assist our Customers, which are available on request. One of the most common questions regards barcodes, and we have produced an information sheet that can be found here.