As the FSA reports consumers’ increasing use of leftover food to help family budgets CFA supports the Agency’s reminders of the importance of ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ dates. And CFA’s own initiative to educate consumers from an early age, Chilled Education, is already getting the message across to thousands of young people.
As part of Food Safety Week (11 – 17 June) the FSA reports that 52 per cent of consumers throw away less unused food than previously and over half (57 per cent) think that using left over food is a good way to save money. This, coupled with the rising popularity of chilled food, as reported by the CFA earlier this year*, underlines the importance of good food hygiene including adhering to ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ dates and storing food at the correct temperature.
CFA’s Chilled Education initiative is working with teachers and schools to inspire future generations of food scientists. A range of innovative on-line and practical resources explore all aspects of chilled food production from NPD to food safety best practice. CFA is supplying 30,000 easy to use LCD fridge thermometers free to schools.
As Kaarin Goodburn, CFA Secretary General says: “Our fridge thermometers serve a dual purpose of not only educating in the classroom but also taking the message home, literally. We need to do all we can to ensure that food safety information reaches consumers. And education around labelling is also crucial as people still rely on their own judgement to decide how fresh their food is. We are pleased to see the FSA’s focus on labelling. The Agency’s messages complement our work with young people and we believe will make a great contribution towards ensuring consumers enjoy fresh chilled food that is both good and safe to eat.”
Notes to Editors
* In March 2012 CFA reported a six per cent growth in the UK chilled food retail market: https://www.chilledfood.org/MEDIA/NEWS/2012/Chilled+Food+Sector+Growing+Year+on+Year.
CFA’s consumer advice is at https://www.chilledfood.org/resources/handling-of-chilled-foods-consumer-advice.
CFA was formed in 1989 to establish, continuously improve and promote best hygienic practice standards in the production of retailed chilled prepared food. CFA represents many of the leading names in UK chilled prepared food production, predominantly supplying the retail trade. www.chilledfood.org
CFA launched Chilled Education in September 2011. Its aim is to inspire and enthuse young people to find out more about food and consider a career in the industry. Working with the Design and Technology Association (D&TA) Chilled Education combines teacher-generated free online classroom resources with the practical approach of bringing food professionals together with education professionals to share their skills, both in the classroom and factory.
11 June 2012