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Challenges of Ethnic SME Food Business

Dominga Martins MSc, FRSPH, FIFST, Director Safety-Plus Services ‘preventing banana skin situations’ (Audit | Consultancy | Training | Safety Suppliers) and Principal Consultant Soul Food Company (professional association for Ethnic Food Businesses) in UK promotes a positive integration of Food from Ethnic Community. The best person for the job is the person with not only the experience but with the background information and knowledge. One can demonstrate transparency and it can best be achieved if one is involved and connected with the purpose and the process. Dominga identifies the missing link between implementation of food management systems and SME Ethnic business operation.

A common trend occur in many non-compliance reports from health journal or local papers highlighting the lack of commitment or not enough from food business operator or owners, or not implementing food safety management systems in their day to day operation. The interpretation of EC 852/2004, EC 178/2002 and many others perhaps pose a real challenge incorporating in Ethnic Food Business Operation.

Philip Barlow and Adrian Banger, EHP Nov 2009 pg18 advocates the only way to ensure food safety ‘is to persuade handlers to use their training consistently’ and ‘suggests application of behavioural modelling technique should reflect on different ways of a staff choice to work’.

During the Inquiry into the September 2005 outbreak of Escherichia coli O157 in South Wales, Professor Chris Griffith described food safety organizational culture as; ‘a manifestation of the values and beliefs formation is dependent upon the leadership of the person in charge, he went on to say that the culture is of money making and saving is of high priority.’ Ref Leach, D, Perspective in Public Health, July 2010 Vol130 No 4 Pg 163.

A survey carried out by Food Standard Agency on the commitment of small medium caterers, retailers and takeaways is not impressive. The survey also recognised that one of the challenges they face is the lack of capacity.

These findings are not far from true but for the inconsistent guidance across government departments and agencies as reported by Sarah Anderson’s review report 2009 (www.berr.gov.co.uk) or perhaps may not be suitable for all types of food business (Bob Salmon, Handbook for Food Businesses, 2009). www.food.gov.uk/germwatch Feel free to email your answer to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Again the result of another research from BERR, UK shows:

• 40% of SME businesses found complying with employing regulations challenging
• 35% found complying with Health & Safety Regulation challenging and
• 31% did not understand their obligations.

One cannot but wonder and question; what is the actual purpose of the Regulations and how effective is our Law enforcers approach in achieving presumably ‘targets’ in compliance amongst Ethnic Food Operation.

With the imminent increase of budget cut from all public sector, rather than have the pressure of meeting ‘targets’ with minimum resources building up, a collaboration with relevant Ethnic based professionals can mitigate mis-understanding at source and improve consumers’ health.