INTRODUCTION
New food hygiene regulations came into force in 1995 to supplement existing food safety legislation. They were a necessary part of the move towards a harmonised Europe and were needed to ensure that British legislation complied with the EC Food Hygiene Directive.

Many of the requirements of the regulations have effectively been needed to comply with the Food Safety Act and subsequent regulations since 1990 and will often reflect standard good working practices. However, the need to formally identify hazards and controls and, in many cases, to maintain this information in writing will require additional resources being allocated to food safety issues.

Enforcement officers were asked to allow the trade a lead in time before taking formal action but this initial period of grace has now expired.

COURSE CONTENT
The workshop is held over two days and will look at the basic provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990, particularly the main provisions relating to food safety requirements and the means of enforcement. It will then look at the The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 and their main requirements.

The concept of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) will be reviewed and the relevance of the concept to the requirements of the regulations will be discussed.

The content will be based, wherever possible, upon the official Guidance Notes and the Approved Codes of Practice. Information upon where to receive further advice or training will also be included.

A method of recording hazard analysis based upon HACCP principles will be described in detail and delegates will have ample opportunities to carry out practical exercises.

Participation is actively encouraged throughout and the course content, while following the basic framework outlined, will be adjusted to suit the needs and aspirations of the delegates.

CERTIFICATE
The certificate is awarded to candidates who have completed the course and passed both the one hour written examination and a work based project (undertaken during the course to an agreed brief).