Eat Well Eat Safely
Sheffield City Council and Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield provide support to approximately 200 lunch clubs operating in the community. The clubs are usually run by elderly volunteers who are not trained caterers and do not consider themselves as a "food business" in general.
The Health Protection Service provides advice to lunch clubs when initially setting up and during routine food safety inspections. We have encouraged compliance with hazard analysis by using a generic 'Controlling Food Hazards' information pack. Feedback from 'customer satisfaction' surveys and from consultation regarding our enforcement policy identified that these elderly volunteers can feel intimidated by environmental health officer visits and find the generic information pack both too complicated and inappropriate.
General Inspections identified a lack of understanding of the principles of hazard analysis and the knowledge of how to implement and monitor critical control points as part of a food safety management system. Additional hazards associated with volunteers catering from home, sometimes the day before, and transporting food on the day have also been identified. Suspected food poisonings have previously been associated with this practice. It was clear that our existing approach in achieving a full understanding of having an effective food safety management system was inappropriate. The elderly organisers are often reluctant to accept change and it was vital that we work with them in a sympathetic manner if their continued support of this essential community service is to be sustained.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of the project was to review the support we currently provide to lunch clubs by developing and implementing a food hygiene campaign to:
- Build sustainable and effective relationships between lunch clubs and the Health Protection Service.
- Deliver food hygiene messages based on the 4Cs.
- Assist with food safety management and legislative compliance.
- Reduce the risk of food poisoning outbreaks within this vulnerable group.
The objective of the campaign was to provide a guidance package based on the 4Cs approach to food hygiene tailored towards the specific needs of a lunch club. The package would include all the equipment needed to help implement and monitor an effective food safety management system in lunch clubs. The package would include an information folder, a probe thermometer, a fridge thermometer, disinfectant probe wipes and a temperature monitoring pad. The packs would be distributed, as far as possible, through training sessions which doubled up as refresher training in food hygiene.
Partner Organisations
Sheffield City Council's Health Protection Service was given the opportunity to proceed with the project after being awarded one of the Food Standards Agency grants for local initiatives. Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield already worked closely with and offered support to lunch clubs so the HPS forged links with Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield who agreed to work closely with us on this project. We also worked closely with Sheffield City Council's Voluntary Sector Liaison Group who provided information on sources of funding available to lunch clubs. Sheffield City Council's Social Services provided information on healthy eating and nutrition and worked closely with us in delivering the training.
Methodology
The Council forged links with Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield who agreed to work closely with us on this project. Initial contact was at Agewell forum meetings. There were two forum meeting at which a small focus group of lunch club volunteers was formed. This focus group was consulted throughout the development of the information folder and helped to choose the probe and fridge thermometers. They also suggested the inclusion of other information in the information folder such as health and safety in the kitchen, information on healthy eating and nutrition and sources of funding. Contact was made with Age Concern, Sheffield City Council's Voluntary Sector Liaison Group and Social Services to ensure that all lunch clubs would be included in the project.
The information folder was submitted for publication at the beginning of January and we had a completion date of 7th March 2005. The 'guidance package' included the information folder, a probe thermometer, disinfectant probe wipes, a fridge thermometer and a temperature monitoring pad. The package was initially distributed through training sessions coordinated by Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield. This involved a power point presentation explaining the 4Cs approach to good food hygiene. It also included instruction on how to use the probe and fridge thermometers and how to keep simple records. A representative from Social Services attended the training sessions and gave a presentation on healthy eating and nutrition. Remaining packs have been passed onto Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield for distribution. The packs have become an integral part of the basic food hygiene training course which is coordinated by Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield specifically for lunch club volunteers.
Evaluation
It is envisaged that once the guidance package and training is delivered the number of lunch clubs having carried out a systematic analysis of food hazards within their operation will increase significantly. The understanding of the food hygiene messages based on the 4Cs will be demonstrated by an increase in the number of lunch clubs having full hygiene control measures in place and an increase in the confidence in management score. Early indications are that the package has been well received. Environmental health officers are witnessing the successful use of the pack during routine inspections. We have obtained base-line data on the existing level of compliance and longer term evaluation will continue along with the premises inspection programme. A reader's survey sheet accompanied each guidance pack asking for feedback on its content, effectiveness and on the role of the enforcement officer. Survey sheets returned so far have all been positive. We will continue to look at returned 'customer satisfaction' survey sheets to identify any issues.
Resources
A Food Standards Agency Grant of £10000 was awarded in 2005 and Sheffield City Council's Voluntary Sector Liaison Team contributed a further £5000. We produced 200 Guidance Packages and the costs were as follows:
- 200 design and print of full colour loose-leaf booklets £3074.35
- 200 design and print of A5 temperature monitoring pads £420
- 200 temperature probes £1250
- 200 fridge thermometers £270
- 200 tubs disinfectant probe wipes £297
The sustainability of the project has been demonstrated by the willingness of Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield to continue to distribute the packs.
Lessons Learnt
Working with volunteer food handlers has put more emphasis on the educational role rather than the enforcement role of environmental health officers. There has been a lot of close contact with elderly lunch club volunteers over the last year and this has reinforced the links we now have with lunch clubs and their support agencies. There has been an increase in the level of understanding between all the parties involved which has improved our working relationships. Distribution of the pack was initially through training sessions but these were often poorly attended. It therefore became apparent that distribution was slow. Environmental health officers were willing to distribute the packs during routine inspections but this would also be gradual as lunch clubs are usually due an inspection every 12-18 months. Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield therefore volunteered to distribute the packs as they have daily contact with the clubs.
The project started in 2005 and thanks to Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield will continue into the future. The improved working relationships between all parties involved means that we are able to support each other. Agewell and Lunch Clubs in Sheffield organise and fund basic food hygiene courses for lunch club volunteers and the guidance package has become an integral part of this training. The guidance would also be appropriate for use with other community groups such as community cafes or childminders.