Food and Drink Forum hosts SALSA approval scheme event

Business organisation the Food and Drink Forum played a part in ensuring that the SALSA approval scheme for small food and drink producers continues to run successfully.

The Forum sponsored and hosted an event to give the annual CPD – continuous professional development – session to a group of auditors from across the Midlands.

The IFST auditors are responsible for checking food and drink firms have the required standards in place before they are awarded the SALSA accreditation, which stands for Safe and Local Supplier Approval.

A food-safety standard written by experienced food safety experts to reflect both the legal requirements of producers and the enhanced expectations of 'best practice' of professional food buyers, SALSA certification is only granted to suppliers who are able to demonstrate to an auditor that they are able to produce safe and legal food and are committed to continually meeting the requirements of the SALSA standard.

The group of six auditors, including the Food and Drink Forum’s senior technical manager Richard Wigley, who is a SALSA auditor, were hosted at the Business Centre, Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, where the Forum is based.

“It was the first time we’d sponsored and hosted the CPD training at Southglade, and everyone seemed impressed with the facilities. We will probably hold it at Southglade again next year, as it’s in an ideal location and is the perfect place to focus on all things food and safety related,” said Richard, who is also a mentor for the SALSA scheme.

The CPD session updated auditors and also focused on how to achieve consistency.

The Food and Drink Forum was founded in 1998 as a not-for-profit, membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands. It has members across the region.

Pictured, left to right, Richard Wigley, the Food and Drink Forum’s senior technical manager, and CPD trainer Sarah Jackaman.

 www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk 

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink Forum's food technical manager gains IFST Registered Scientist Award

Food technical manager Richard Wigley has gained a Registered Scientist Award (RSci) from the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST).

Richard heads up the technical team at The Food and Drink Forum, which provides business support services to food and drink firms across the East Midlands and beyond.

The RSci is a new award based on a combination of knowledge, competence and a commitment to high standards of professionalism.

It provides recognition of the important roles that scientists play within all aspects of the food sector, in areas such as new product development, food safety, food analysis, product quality and food production.

The RSci will allow Richard to access scientific and technical food information provided by IFST to pass onto Food and Drink Forum members, and to continue providing high quality technical support to food and drink businesses in the region.

"We would like to congratulate Richard on gaining a Registered Scientist Award, which recognises the standards to which he works and the knowledge and expertise that he has in this field,” said Fiona Anderson, managing director of the Food and Drink Forum, which is based at Southglade Food Park, Gala Way, Nottingham.

The Forum’s technical team, made up of Richard Wigley and Kasia Chapman, provides a range of business support services, including formulation, shelf life improvement, packaging advice, technical advice and services, labelling and nutritional advice, auditing, accreditation and certification, new product development support and training.

The Forum, which was established in 1998 as a not-for-profit, membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands, operates across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, as well as further afield.

It has members across the region, including manufacturers, food service operators, consultants and businesses providing services to the food and drink sector.

Its aims include championing the food and drink sector in the East Midlands, developing strategic influencing partnerships within and outside the East Midlands, and acting as a centre for information and knowledge on all subjects relating to the food and drink sector in the region.

To contact the Forum technical team email enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk or telephone 0115 9758810.

Press release issued by Louise Duffield, Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Food and Drink Forum helps Nottingham company launch Argan oil

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum is helping a Nottingham importer to become one of the first companies to bring a ‘magical’ oil to the UK food and drink market.

Argan Oil, which comes from a small and specific part of Morocco, has been dubbed the golden oil for its health, nutrition and beauty properties. Rich in essential vitamins, it’s beneficial for skin and hair, and also as part of a healthy diet.

It’s been used extensively in the beauty industry but Azzelarab El Alaoui, who runs Nottingham-based Alassala Olives Ltd, aims to be one of only a handful of importers currently selling Argan oil in the UK’s food sector.

He plans to sell the oil to delis, health stores and top restaurants, and has been working with The Food and Drink Forum to launch the product.

The Food and Drink Forum’s technical manager Richard Wigley has been supporting the launch of Organic Moroccan Argan Oil with advice on labelling, legal organic certification and shelf-life. He’s also helped with information about the best ways to get the product showcased to buyers, retailers and others who might be interested in Argan oil.

“Argan oil is a very interesting product, and Azzelarab is passionate about raising its profile and bringing it to the UK,” said Richard Wigley. “As a business support organisation with experience of helping companies to develop and launch new products, The Food and Drink Forum has been delighted to help him with his project.”

Argan oil is made from the nuts of the Argan tree, which is found only in the south west part of Morocco. The nuts are cracked by hand and the seed extracted and ground into paste oil. It is traditionally made by local Berber women who work in cooperatives and it can take ten to 12 hours to produce one litre of oil.

Through fair trade, Argan oil provides the Berber women with a dependable source of income, a means of improving their financial independence and it opens better access to health care and education.

Before modern times the women would collect the undigested Argan pits from the waste of goats that climb the trees to feed on the fruit.

Azzelarab, who is Moroccan and moved to the UK eight or nine year ago, founded his company Alassala Olives Ltd a year ago. Alassala means originality and he aims to supply unusual and original products.

“The south west of Morocco is very well visited by German tourist, especially the biggest city in that region Agadir,” he said. “They were the first Europeans to show great interest in the benefits of Argan oil.

They were fascinated by how Berber women in that region look very young and have no wrinkles and how people look so healthy in general. After their research they found out that diet is behind that. Argan oil is a fundamental element in diet of the people in that region. When they analysed Argan oil they found it was rich in vitamin E and has omega three, six and nine, and it’s the only oil that contains all four elements.”

In 1999, UNESCO added the Argan tree-growing area to the World Heritage List.

Just as Britons caught on to the benefits of eating olive oil, so Argan oil is now starting to find favour, said Azzelarab, who is based in Bulwell.

“It’s been called golden oil, magical oil and miracle oil,” he said.
His food product is suitable for dipping, drizzling, on salads and for sweets and pastries.

“Other parts of Europe recognised the benefits of Argan oil some time ago,” said Azzelarab. “I have done the research and although there are a small number of people importing it to the UK there are no big companies or nationally recognised names that are importing Argan oil.

“I’m very grateful for the expertise of The Food and Drink Forum, which has helped me since I launched my business.”

The Food and Drink Forum, based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, was launched in 1998 as a not-for-profit membership-led organisation to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the East Midlands.

It aims to:
• Champion the food and drink sector in the East Midlands.
• Develop strategic influencing partnerships within and outside the East Midlands.
• Act as a centre for information and knowledge on all subjects relating to the food and drink sector in the region.
• Stimulate and facilitate sustainable change within companies of all sizes across the food chain.
• Generate income and secure resources to meet the needs of a high-quality service.
• Promote the food and drink sector to future employees through education and the raising of skills.

For more information about the services offered by The Food and Drink Forum visit www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk

For more information about Alassala Olives Ltd visit www.alassalaolives.co.uk


Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Accreditation success for Nottingham food service supplier, thanks to business support organisation The Food & Drink Forum

Luciano Vendone

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum has successfully guided Nottingham-based firm Deli Conti towards gaining a key food safety accreditation.

The Forum’s technical manager Richard Wigley helped the food service supplier to achieve STS accreditation, which is a requirement to supply for some of the major UK food service organisations.

Now the firm hopes it will open new doors and create additional business for Deli Conti, which supplies freshly cooked authentic pasta sauces and meals, marinated olives and a range of other foods and ingredients to caterers, restaurants, delis, pubs and other outlets.

The company, which is based at Victoria Business Park, Netherfield, has taken on three additional staff over the past six months and now employs eight people.

“Richard’s support and guidance has been invaluable in helping Deli Conti to achieve the STS accreditation, and we couldn’t have done it without him,” said Sue Vendone, operations manager at Deli Conti. “We knew that we were doing all the correct things in terms of quality assurance and food safety, but it was documenting it in the correct format that we needed help with, and Richard’s experience in accreditation proved to be extremely useful.

“Now that we have STS accreditation we will be promoting our products and it will increase customer confidence.”

The Food and Drink Forum, which operates across the East Midlands, supports food and drink manufacturers and others working in the sector in a number of ways, including providing help with food safety accreditations such as BRC (British Retail Consortium), STS and SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval).

“Many retailers and food service operators demand accreditations from their suppliers so it makes excellent business sense for manufacturers to invest in gaining the standards,” said Richard Wigley.

“Having the correct accreditations can open doors with potential customers and lead to new business contracts, so I am delighted to learn that Deli Conti has achieved STS accreditation with support from The Food and Drink Forum.”

Among Deli Conti’s recent customers are a small chain of restaurants in the south and a large national chain of Italian restaurants.

The Food and Drink Forum is based at the Business Centre, Southglade Food Park, Nottingham. For more information about how the organisation supports businesses, please visit http://www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk/
or call 0115 9758810.

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http://www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk/

http://www.deliconti.co.uk/

Food and Drink Forum's technical manager becomes a halal auditor

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum can now help firms achieve a halal standard that verifies their products are suitable for Muslims after its technical manager became one of the first auditors in the region for the European Halal Development Agency standard.

An increasing number of food and drink producers are opting to gain the halal standard, helping to make their products suitable for as wide an audience as possible.

Now The Food and Drink Forum’s Richard Wigley has qualified to audit against the EHDA halal standard.

With approximately 3 million halal consumers in the UK, and millions abroad, the standard is set to becoming an important one for slaughterhouses, food manufacturers and food service operators, said Richard.

“The halal standard doesn’t just relate to slaughter, it relates to food manufacture and in food service too,” said Richard.

“Many companies are now operating to halal standards as a matter of course because it makes commercial sense to do so. Products like New Zealand lamb, for example are certified to halal standards and are exported to places all over the world, including traditional Muslim countries.”

The EHDA standard has been developed to ensure complete halal food supply chain assurance, he added.

The Certification against EHDA halal standard is in sections and achieved through an audit which can be stand alone, as it includes the requirements for a full food safety management system for slaughter, manufacturing and foodservice, or it can be stacked with a British Retail Consortium certification audit. Richard is one of only a handful of qualified auditors in the region.

The Food and Drink Forum is a membership-led business support organisation which works across the East Midlands and beyond. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Gala Way, Nottingham, and has members across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland and Northamptonshire.

Firms wanting more information should contact Richard Wigley at The Forum on 0115 9758810 or richard.wigley@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk.