Best practice guide for UK sprout producers
The ‘Guidance for food business operators on the hygienic sourcing, production and safe handling of ready to eat sprouts’ provides advice on reducing the risk of contamination and was developed by an industry group following last year’s E.coli O104:H4 outbreaks in France and Germany which were linked to ready to eat sprouted seeds.
"This industry standard comes ahead of on-going EU deliberations to introduce additional legislative controls and we hope it will reinforce both consumer and customer confidence in this sector," said Nigel Jenney, Chief Executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium. "On behalf of the sprouts sector we are pleased to lead this initiative to set out current industry best practice. We encourage all businesses to adopt and adhere to this guidance."
Alison Gleadle, Director of Food Safety at the Food Standards Agency said: "Sprout producers are responsible for ensuring that microbial contamination is minimised and that food safety risks are effectively controlled. We therefore welcome industry initiatives, such as the publication of this new guidance that will help sprout producers meet their legal obligations and increase awareness of industry best practice."
The guide is designed to help businesses which produce sprouts, as well as seed producers, to implement appropriate controls and manage production and handling procedures. The Guide is free to FPC members and is available from the Fresh Produce Consortium; email: [email protected]