REHIS News

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has launched a new food allergy alert service, offering consumers on-the-go updates on missing or incorrect allergen information on food labels. 

The free service, available through the FSS homepage, gives the option to receive specific alerts via text message or email on issues involving any of the 14 allergens that must be declared on labelling in the UK.

Nevis Bakery Limited, based in Inverness-shire has been fined £6,000 at Belfast Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to failing to provide information on an allergenic ingredient - namely eggs - on its Empire biscuits.

The firm also admitted to putting the biscuits that were deemed unsafe and considered injurious to health to a specific category of consumers on the market. They were also ordered to pay over £3,000 legal costs.

Scotland's transport secretary is urging the UK Government to ensure that time-sensitive exports are given priority in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Michael Matheson MSP has written to his UK counterpart Chris Grayling asking that critical exports such as Scottish seafood are given priority access to the additional ferry capacity secured by the UK Government when it is not being used to transport essential supplies.

Under proposals approved by a group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), meat-alternative food products cannot carry meat product and meat preparation names such as burgers and steaks.

The European Parliament's Agriculture Committee met on 1 April to vote on the first proposed reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) beyond 2020. Amendments to the common market organisation (CMO) for agricultural products garnered 29 votes in favour to seven against, and one abstention.

The programme for the REHIS Annual Environmental Health Forum 2019 has now been released.

The REHIS Annual Environmental Health Forum provides all Environmental Health Professionals in both the public and private sectors an opportunity to maintain and enhance their knowledge, skills and competence.

Unless a withdrawal agreement is approved (or Article 50 is delayed), the UK will leave the European Union with no negotiated exit - and in a second everything will change.

In Scotland food, health and safety, and environmental protection, regulation has been driven by the EU. There are over 50 separate EU Directives and Regulations alone that govern food standards in the UK, whilst more than 40% of all legislation coming out of EU is food related. 

Below is some information and helpful additional sources of information to help prepare for Brexit. 

Concerns have been raised about the sale of World War II gas masks on the internet, as WW II gas masks and World War I “Brodie” helmets may contain asbestos.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has previously advised schools, that it was not appropriate for children or teachers to wear or handle a Second World War gas mask unless it can be clearly demonstrated that the particular mask does not contain asbestos. ​

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has issued an alert to colleagues including Environmental Health teams regarding recent hospitalisations and deaths reported across the UK relating to the consumption of 2,4- Dinitrophenol (DNP).

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee (SFELC) met with the Specialist Cheesemaker’s Association (SCA) recently (6 March 2019) to discuss the concerns raised by some of the SCA’s members regarding guidance for Environmental Health Officers on the production of cheese made from raw (unpasteurised) milk in Scotland.

On March 11th 2019, the Scottish Government launched Count 14, a national alcohol public information campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the recommended alcohol limits, as research shows only around a fifth of people in Scotland (17 per cent) know what they are.

The ‘Count 14’ awareness campaign has been developed to demonstrate what 14 units actually means in terms of alcoholic drinks, in a bid to encourage people to think about how their weekly drinking adds up.