Food Safety A Waste Of Time? - by Geoff Tooley

"Food Safety - what a waste of time!! - my granny lived off out of date food and raw sausages and lived to be 108" - So said a colleague in the non too distant past.

Possibly true, but if you continually stroll across Blackpool Prom with your eyes shut, you`ll eventually get squashed by a tram - just ask Rita Fairclough.

Food poisoning does exist and will happen - 92,000 confirmed cases in England and Wales in 2007 - and this is just the people who can be bothered or have enough strength in their buttock cheeks to actually get to the Doctors.

The good news is that good food hygiene standards are not difficult to achieve (contrary to what some called Celebrity Chefs think - thank you Antony Worrell Thompson) The other positive thing is that food hygiene standards for the majority of local authorities are now available on a national Website www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk. Leeds City Council for example give a score from 5 down to 0.

I am very pleased to say that all our University run food outlets, kitchens and Halls have achieved the top 5 star rating. Well done to all the staff concerned.

I`m now off to Blackpool - look left, look right.......................