FSA urging B+Bs to 'play it safe' with food as Olympics draws near

B+Bs and other accommodation providers are among the targets of a new campaign from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) designed to raise awareness of food safety issues ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Developed in recognition of the fact that “proactive steps” are required to protect consumers and prepare businesses for this historic event, the six-month ‘Play It Safe’ initiative incorporates the delivery of extra training and information to food businesses to ensure that high hygiene standards are followed.

Among other measures, the FSA will be providing support to local authorities so that they can carry out additional inspections of food outlets.

B+Bs constitute one focus of the initiative, confirms Sarah Appleby, head of enforcement and local authority delivery at the Food Standards Agency. “The FSA has provided advice on food safety to companies promoting the use of domestic rooms for bed and breakfast accommodation,” she says. “The information refers in particular to the checklist and documentation provided by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.”

The broad scope of the initiative means that, in addition to taking qualitative feedback from stakeholders when it comes to assessing the success of the campaign, the FSA is also “exploring the option of using an external, independent organisation to assess the effectiveness of our work with accommodation providers. This will be part of a wider evaluation of the FSA’s overall role during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the contribution to the legacy of food safety for the UK,” remarks Appleby.

As part of the campaign, the FSA is actively seeking out businesses who believe they exemplify best practice to participate in attention-raising case studies. If you have any questions about the campaign, or think that your business is a great example of preparing for the Olympics, please contact Hollie Rendall or Elizabeth Porter at Kindred – the PR agency that is working with the FSA on the Play It Safe campaign – on 020 7010 0829/0851.