Food Standards Agency (FSA) CEO Katie Pettifer has announced a campaign designed to help food businesses better use the agency’s guidance and resources.

In a statement, Pettifer said that one of the guiding principles of the FSA is to make it easier for food businesses to “do the right thing” when it comes to hygiene standards.

Supporting businesses

According to the FSA, 64% of customers consider cleanliness when choosing where to eat and 82% avoid restaurants or takeaways with a hygiene rating of two or below, which highlights that food hygiene standards directly affect business success. The statement notes that small businesses often miss out on the latest food safety guidance, such as allergy information requirements, which could help them protect their customers and ensure they meet their legal obligations.

Only 6% of small businesses subscribe to FSA news and food alerts, which means they may miss information about products to be cleared from the shelves during a food safety incident.

The help address this issue, the FSA is launching a refreshed business website hub, which will allow food businesses to have free access to resources needed for them to run safely. It includes expanded free training resources and improved guidance materials, covering critical areas such as allergen management and food incident response.

“By engaging with these resources, we want to help business better protect customers.”

Katie Pettifer, FSA CEO, adds: “Our aim is simple: to make it easier for businesses to do the right thing. By engaging with these resources, we want to help business better protect customers, maintain public trust in the food industry, and stay compliant with the latest regulations.”

The new FSA business website hub can be found here.