REHIS News

A no-deal Brexit threatens the UK's food security and will lead to higher prices and empty shelves in the short-term, retailers are warning.

UK retailers' industry group the British Retail Consortium has written to MPs with the warning, saying that the food retail sector's complex just-in-time supply chain will be significantly disrupted in the event of no deal.

The letter was co-signed by several of the major UK food retailers, including the chief executives of Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Sainsbury, Asda and Morrisons.

New allergen rules have been proposed, including listing all ingredients and allergens on foods which are prepacked for direct sale.

Food Standards Scotland, Food Standards Agency and the Department for Health and Social Care have launched a consultation on amending allergen information provisions contained within domestic food information legislation for food prepacked for direct sale

The nine- week public consultation puts forward four options on how to improve the provision of allergen information for food sold prepacked for direct sale. 

A construction company has been fined £600,000 over the death of a workman who was struck by a dump truck.

Vincent Ramsay, 55, was killed at a former tram depot in Leith, Edinburgh in 2016, when a dumper truck ran over him at the bottom of a dirt ramp leading into an underground car park.

The father-of four had been crouching down to spray markings when he was hit.

London-based Allenbuild Ltd plead guilty to health and safety offences at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and on 1 February 2019 were fined.

At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Topshop owners, Arcadia Group Ltd have been fined £450,000 after pleading guilty to a single charge under the Health and Safety Work Act 1974.

This was following a health and safety investigation by Environmental Health at Glasgow City Council into an injury of a 10-year- old girl at a Topshop store when part of a barrier fell on her head on 7 February 2017.

The Scottish Government have recently published the National Low Emissions Framework (NLEF).  

The Framework provides a methodology for local authorities to undertake air quality assessment to inform decisions on transport related actions to improve local air quality, where transport is identified as the key contributor to air quality problems. 

The NLEF supports and builds on the work already being done through the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) system

Highland Spring has announced its water bottles will be produced from 100% recycled plastic following a successful 2018 trial.

This month will see the permanent launch of the Highland Spring eco bottle across supermarkets.

The bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic, excluding the cap and label, which are themselves recyclable, the company said.

The bottle, which will be a permanent part of the company’s UK products range, will be slightly cloudier than standard versions.

Waste collection systems used throughout the UK could be causing significant long-term musculoskeletal issues for workers, research has shown. 

Researchers from the University of Greenwich and Glasgow Caledonian University surveyed more than 200 refuse workers over four years investigating musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) arising out of different recycling and waste collection systems.

MSDs cover any injury, damage or disorder of the joints or other tissues in the upper or lower limbs or the back and can be made worse by workplace conditions.

Two patients have died after contracting a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

The individuals are thought have caught the airborne disease at the hospital after inhaling the fungus cryptococcus, typically found in soil and pigeon droppings.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has launched an investigation into the outbreak. It said the likely source of the pigeon droppings was a non-public room, thought to contain machinery, which has now been cleaned.

The majority of Scots support action to reduce the levels of sugar, fat and salt in food, according to the latest Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) survey.

Findings from the survey “Public attitudes to reducing levels of overweight and obesity in Scotland” found the majority (91%) thought cheap fast food was too easily accessible. 

Earlier this week, on the 14 January 2019, the UK Government published its Clean Air Strategy, outlining how England will set out reducing the prevalence of harmful air pollutants.