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Safe to Trade, the industry-wide standard devoted to driving food safety standards, has held a highly successful Stakeholder Engagement Forum, marking key successes to date and highlighting plans to bolster the scheme.
With representation from regulators, consumer groups, local authorities, food businesses and certification bodies in attendance, the forum, held in Central London, discussed progress and evolution of the scheme, data insights and future initiatives.
Significantly, the Forum celebrated the landmark of over 1,000 hospitality locations enrolling on the Scheme since January 2023 and a number of businesses now successfully moving into their second year highlighting their commitment to meeting the Safe to Trade Standard requirements and the importance they place on the third-party assurance and brand differentiation that Safe to Trade provides.
The Forum discussed the first data insight report on compliance trends and issues found during Safe to Trade audits, which is due for publication very shortly. Key compliance issues highlighted by the data included allergen controls and date labelling.
With several industry-leading brands already on board including Hoburne, YO! Sushi and Joe and the Juice, plans were unveiled to further build the scheme, with future initiatives highlighted.
The Forum followed hot on the heels of Safe to Trade’s recent success in the prestigious Society of Food Hygiene and Technology Awards, where the standard was recognised and presented with the Best New Product 2024 award, reaffirming its industry relevance.
John Barnes, Chair of the Safe to Trade Stakeholder Engagement Forumcomments: “Our recent stakeholder engagement forum was a really useful and informative event, bringing together key stakeholders to discuss recent developments and important compliance data insights from the industry-leading Safe to Trade standard.
“Today, we are more aware than ever just how important hospitality is for both the economy and our general health and wellbeing. But customers want to be confident that not only will their meal be delicious, it will also be safe and the environment hygienic and welcoming. This is why Safe to Trade is so relevant now and why it is dedicated to driving food safety standards across the sector – the standard builds trust, peace of mind and customer confidence, in turn helping both businesses and the sector to thrive.”
