Welcome To Food Tech Solutions Ltd
News
Some Exciting New Projects to Start 2024
15 December 2023
Consultancy / Staff Training / Auditing
The year has continued well with Food Tech Solutions working with some new clients to gain SALSA accreditation such as Kocktail in October and current clients maintaining their SALSA such as Brysons. Mark Toney has re-started their regular audit programme and Fenwick have undergone a full food safety review of their food operation teams and have started a new food operation in their York store.
2024 looks very exciting with some new clients working with Food Tech Solutions in order to achieve SALSA accreditation including Cake Stories and Cas Par Cas Scotland Fish, and negotiations are underway with a new client which will involve redesigning and auditing a key hospitality venture. Watch this space!
Wishing you all a lovely Christmas.
Consultancy / Staff Training / Auditing
12 September 2023
The year started with some long term clients maintaining their accreditation. These include Harvest Foods maintaining their STS and SALSA accreditation, Mattison’s and Hadrian Border Brewery maintaining their SALSA accreditation.
Consultancy projects continue with Hadrian soon to have a scope extension to their SALSA certificate to include their new canning line, Nicholson’s Butchers deciding on a regular audit schedule, St Vincent part of the 21 Group, is now part of the regular auditing schedule and new client Hemp North achieved SALSA accreditation in July after a 4 month mentoring project.
Food Tech Solutions Ltd is also assisting long term client, The Fenwick Group, with reviewing their own label approved suppliers and designing a bespoke system to assist their F + B Buyers and providing technical resource to Marlish Water with a view to progressing to BRC accreditation in the future.
Business Expansion to End 2022
07 December 2022
Consultancy / Staff Training / Auditing
The year has ended as it started – extremely busy
Current clients have maintained best practice including Simply Food Solutions maintaining their BRC accreditation, Doddington Dairy Ice Cream, Mattison’s, Hadrian Brewery and Bryson’s maintaining SALSA accreditation.
Some new clients to end the year include Kocktail who are aiming for SALSA accreditation in the new year for their speciality premium drinks business and the newly launched Pleased To Meet You restaurant in Tynemouth, who are part of the Crafted Products group.
Food Tech Solutions Ltd has been actively assisting current SALSA clients with the new Version 6 standard and has completed internal food safety gap analysis studies at the Mark Toney café chain in Newcastle, one of which is the oldest café in Newcastle!
A further NYC overseas trip to assist Oak Foods in Pennsylvania was completed in October, along with continuing weekly remote mentoring of the senior site team, resulting in training the team to complete internal audits and implementing a full traceability system.
CIEH classroom training has been completed for the Vaulkhard Group and a programme of level 2 and level 3 food safety training has rolled out in The Fenwick Group.
Wishing everyone a lovely Christmas!
Strong Business Performance to start 2022
12 July 2022
Consultancy / Staff Training / Auditing
2022 has started well with current clients recovering well from the COVID challenges and with some exciting new challenges for Food Tech Solutions Ltd including expanding into America!
The year started well with Harvest Foods maintaining their STS accreditation and then SALSA accreditation in June. Belle and Herbs achieved SALSA accreditation for the first time in April and work will now start on updating all SALSA accredited clients to the new Version 6 standard.
New clients for the year included West Bridgford tennis club and Linhope Farm Estate both of which are progressing to achieve best practice for their food operations.
Food Tech Solutions Ltd was contacted by Oak Foods in Pennsylvania in January to provide mentoring and consultancy to their snack business which included an intense weeklong site visit which concluded with the all site personnel receiving training and traceability / allergen control procedures being implementing which gained approval from the local FDA! Work continues with remote mentoring and regular visits to America planned.
Strong Business Performance to end 2021
16 December 2021
Consultancy / Staff Training / Auditing
The last time I wrote we were just coming out of national lockdown and the future was uncertain for many businesses. However all FTS clients have recovered well and re-opened with record breaking results!
This has led to some new and exciting opportunities for FTS and we are very proud to say we now complete food safety inspections on all 21 Hospitality Group sites including the newly opened York restaurant, some new sites for Crafted Projects including the newly opened Pleased To Meet You in Morpeth and Fenwick Kingston store; part of the Fenwick Group. Silver linings!
The start of 2022 looks busy with some new projects such as Belle and Herbs Farm becoming a new SALSA client for FTS, redesigning of the food safety systems for the Fenwick Group nationally and providing mentoring for new staff at Doddington Dairies.
FTS ensured COVID Safe classroom Level 2 food safety training was provided for Elpha Lodge Care Home and Dame Allans School, and clients such as Brysons, Harvest Foods and Hadrian Brewery maintained their accreditation schemes after a challenging start to their year.
So here’s to 2021 and lets gets stuck into 2022. Stay safe and merry Christmas.
2021! We’re Open for Business Again!
05 May 2021
Objective – The start of a new business year with hope on the horizon.
Consultancy / Staff Training / Auditing
The start of 2021 brought the hope of some positive news and I am delighted to report that FTS clients are recovering well. Some have even diversified into new markets which they intend to continue even when business gets back to normal and restrictions are lifted. Silver linings!
In summary – 2021 is getting exciting again!
Food Tech Solutions Ltd has started the year strong and has been contacted by some new clients at the start of the year. Harvest Foods contacted FTS before Christmas and due to new ownership; a full review and redesign of their STS and SALSA site standards has been completed, along with mentoring of the new technical team on site. Business opportunities have also arisen from New York, USA where Food Tech Solutions is in discussions to provide technical consultancy to achieve SQF approval for a premium healthy snack business. Watch this space!
Long term client Hadrian Border Brewery have invested in a new canning line to allow them to increase their product offering to clients and Food Tech Solutions has redesigned their SALSA systems to include the new canning operation.
Natasha’s Law is coming and discussions are underway with all hospitality clients of how this may affect them and what procedures will be required to ensure compliance.
Throughout the national lockdowns; Food Tech Solutions has continued to complete SALSA inspections both by staged audits and on-site and on-site food safety inspections of all clients who are trading currently.
May and June will see all the hospitality clients find their feet again and Food Tech Solutions will be working alongside them to ensure they start strong and remain best practice.
COVID 19! Brexit! Food Industry challenges ahead for 2021!
26 November 2020
Objective – To continue supporting clients in managing their business through the challenges of COVID 19 and Brexit.
Consultancy / Staff Training / Auditing
Since I last wrote we were in the middle of the first national lockdown due to COVID 19. As I write we are nearly through the second!
The COVID 19 Risk Assessment, launched in May, was a huge success and allowed clients of Food Tech Solutions Ltd to lead the way and show best practice when dealing with the challenges and procedures needed to be COVID Safe. The need for a documented COVID Risk Assessment became the industry requirement in preparation for the re-opening of businesses in July 2020.
To provide clients with on-going support with COVID; as part of the usual food safety inspection service Food Tech Solutions Ltd provides to clients, a review of their site COVID Protocols is also provided, free of charge, which provides them with feedback and advice in order to be industry best practice when it comes to ensuring staff and customers are kept safe during this challenging time.
Food Tech Solutions Ltd is getting ready to support clients for the next challenge ahead which will be Brexit, which comes into force on the 1st January 2021 and will involve changes such as the ‘UK/EC’ identification code. Then there is Natasha’s Law launching in October 2021 which will demand improved allergen control for some sectors.
COVID 19 Support to Clients – The COVID 19 Risk Assessment for Food Manufacturing, Hospitality and Retail Businesses.
05 May 2020
Objective - To allow clients to see a way forward to managing the COVID 19 risk and get back to business.
Consultancy / Staff Training / Auditing
So much has changed in the world of business since the last review in December. Food Tech Solutions Ltd has spent this extraordinary time of lockdown since 23rd March, thinking of ways to support and provide guidance to clients, in order to navigate a way forward through this crisis, ensure business continuity and maintain best practice.
This has resulted in designing a COVID 19 Risk Assessment which is available for current clients from the 10th May, following the Prime Minister’s national briefing on how the government plans to ease the lockdown.
This documented Risk Assessment provides up to date information on the facts about coronavirus and COVID 19, brings in the additional control measures we will need to ensure both employee and customer safety going forward including PPE, extra cleaning procedures, relevant staff training documentation, and exclusion policies; in order for businesses to comply with the most up to date government guidelines / industry best practice in manufacturing, hospitality and food retail.
I believe local enforcement officers will be challenging how a site is managing these risks meaning that having a clear risk assessment in place will be critical. In addition ‘customer perception’ of how a business is showing customer care regarding COVID 19 risks will become as essential for business future success as the current Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme scores; especially in this world of social media.
Breaking all records in 2019.
12 December 2019
The year continued to go from strength to strength with the inclusion of some really exciting new projects leading into 2020.
Consultancy
Naked Deli continue to expand with the launch of their new branch in Glasgow Airport and some excellent achievements by current clients during this part of the year with Blackwells Butchers and Grants of Corbridge both achieving 5 Star in their Food Hygiene Ratings annual audit and Simply Food Solutions maintaining their BRC accreditation status.
Food Tech Solutions Ltd has signed contracts during this time, to design and implement food safety systems and provide an internal auditing service for the Vaulkhard Group consisting of 9 outlets within Newcastle, Ponteland and Gosforth, and the Auckland Project within Bishop Auckland Castle. Both projects will roll into 2020.
Training
Food Tech Solutions Ltd completed dedicated CIEH Level 2 food safety training for Elpha Lodge and CIEH Level 3 food safety training for National Trust Gibside in October, and will become the dedicated food safety training for both Level 2 and Level 3 for the Fenwick Group going forward.
Auditing
The internal auditing programme offered by Food Tech Solutions Ltd continues to grow with a rolling programme of about 30 clients gaining support and development from this service.
2019 has been the busiest start of a business year in Food Tech Solutions Ltd.’s 15 year history!
11 June 2019
The last 6 months has seen some exciting projects emerging with some new exceptional clients, all won by referral.
Consultancy
Naked Deli continue to expand throughout the north east with the opening of their new Grey Street, Newcastle store in December 2018. Food Tech Solutions Ltd now provides an on-going technical support service to Doddington Dairy, managing their ice cream, natural yoghurt, cheese and Milk Bar operations and in May 2019, Food Tech Solutions Ltd was selected to provide extra BRC technical resource to Punjab Kitchen, one of the UK’s largest supplier of ready meals to the NHS.
Chainbridge Honey Farm achieved 5 Star in their Food Hygiene Ratings annual audit and Food Tech Solutions Ltd will be assisting in the design and development of Turnbull’s of Alnwick butchers new, impressive food hall development on the outskirts of Alnwick.
Future exciting projects include providing food safety technical support for the designing of the new 2019 Fenwick Branded product labels for the group, Allendale Brewery SALSA project and Star Meats SALSA project.
Training
Food Tech Solutions Ltd has been selected to provide Level 2 and Level 3 food safety training for the Fenwick Group and will be completing Level 3 food safety training at National Trust Gibside in October 2019.
Food Tech Solutions Ltd will also be completing some staff training for the key team at Finlays of Hull, on Food Defence / TACCP which is a new requirement of version 8 of the BRC standard.
Auditing
The internal auditing programme currently in place for Crafted Projects which includes their Pleased To Meet You, Central Restaurant and Red House on the Quayside restaurants, now includes the Lady Grey pub in Newcastle and all five of the Naked Deli food outlets commenced their internal audit programme in November 2018, with all sites being inspected on a quarterly basis by Food Tech Solutions Ltd.
Further BRC technical support in the form of an auditing service is being provided to Punjab Kitchen to develop the internal audit team on site and a BRC Gap Analysis audit will be completed for Finlays of Hull in July, as preparation for their annual BRC audit.