Standards of kitchen safety and hygiene begin with proper signage. Alongside training and practice, signs are a regular reminder to chefs and kitchen employees to properly follow standards, especially in a busy and stressful environment. Without the foundation of kitchenware safety symbols, it would be increasingly difficult to adhere to accepted and legislated standards of safety. Each workspace that involves a kitchen must be HSE compliant, complete with signs, posters and labels.
The Law
In kitchens and food-based service, several laws need to be adhered to:
- The Food Safety Act 1990
- The General Food Law Regulation (Regulation EC 178/2002)
- General Food Regulations 2004
- Food Hygiene Regulations 2006
While each of these laws has their purposes, furthermore, they ensure the safety of kitchens through appropriate safety measures including equipment, labels and safety checkpoints.
While establishing the baseline for kitchen safety, the laws also act as a deterrence with the severity of its fines and possible jail time. For businesses found to be breaking General Food Regulations 2004, a fine of up to £20000 can be issued as well as 6 months jail time.
The severity of going against these laws shows that food safety is of paramount importance to the British government, making kitchenware safety signs is the first step to assuring your business doesn’t fall foul of these laws.
The Costs
Most recently, food delivery provider Just Eat promised to invest £1 million in food and safety standards across the UK takeaway sector. The company will grade each of the restaurants utilising its service on a scale of 0-2; those who do not take the company’s advice and attain a score of at least 1 will be removed from the service. What the company’s investment indicates is a growing concern over the cleanliness of the businesses which utilises its services. Some of these businesses do not adhere to proper kitchen safety, including safety symbols, leading to companies like Just Eat being out of pocket.
Of course, Just Eat’s investment is merely a symptom of industry-wide anxiety. The amount of money lost from poor use of kitchenware safety symbols and haphazard hygiene every year is staggering.
These issues are not neatly cornered into the food industry, either. This year, a Shropshire hotel was fined £20,000 for food hygiene offences; this Act is as a reminder that kitchen safety extends much further than just takeaways and restaurants.
Kitchenware Safety Symbols Are the First Step to Compliance
As always, the first step in complying with safety laws is proper labelling. Here at Label Source, we have a comprehensive range of kitchen safety signs, from food preparation signs to hazard warning posters.
Our kitchen signs should be used in food preparation areas to identify best practices and to promote health and safety.
