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Food Safety is important and in the past very little has been done about it. There are many different types of food poisoning and it can be fatal. If the JCR uses a reputable catering company to provide food for an event then the caterers are responsible for ensuring the food is safe, however the JCR must follow any instructions given to them by the caterers. Sometimes however JCR's cook for their members or have BBQ's in the summer and there is a responsibility for the execs to prepare the food safely.

There is training available in food safety and any JCR which prepares food (including BBQ's) must have a food safety trained person present during all food preparation. The course is certified by the Royal Institute of Public Health and covers the Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering. The participant will receive a recognised certificate upon successful completion.

The Training Course

The course will be as follows; there will be an hours introduction session, then the participant will have two weeks to complete the online course in their own time, and at the end there will be an hours session on how to relate the course to what the JCR does. Courses will be run throughout the year and there will be approximately 20 places on each course.

The courses will be at the following times:

Course 1: Tuesday 14th October 13:00-14:00 with the final lecture on Tuesday 28th October 13:00-14:00

Course 2: Wednesday 12th November 13:00-14:00 with the final lecture on Wednesday 26th November 13:00-14:00

The course costs £15; to pay come into the Activities Office and see Alisdair Denholm.

The information below and the full payment for the course must be received by Alisdair Denholm three working days before the course starts:

Which JCR they are from

Food Safety Information

If you are trained in food safety but would like information to give to those you will be supervising or you just want some information for your group on food safety there is the following available:

Hygiene Sense - this is the book given to those who have attended the Basic Food Hygiene Course and covers all the important things you need to do. This is available from the Activities Office for just £2

Environmental Health Advice Leaflet - This is the downloadable leaflet which is the advice from the Lancaster Council Environmental Health Agency for students and voluntary groups.

Temperature Logs

Keeping food out of the danger zone is the most important factor for reducing the risk of food poisoning. You must be checking the temperature of the food you are cooking, the fridges and freezers you are using, the food as it cools and when it is out in service for consuming. It is important to log on paper all the temperatures you record so that you know it is done and to back yourselves up in case of a problem.

Below are logs which you can use to record all the temperatures of the food you are preparing:

Food Safety Equipment Temperature Log

Food Safety Cooking Temperature Log

Food Safety Cooling Temperature Log

Food Safety Serving Temperature Log

Food Safety Equipment

As detailed in the course there is certain equipment that the group or participants must have for the group to be able to meet its safety requirements. The group needs to be able to check the temperature of the fridge and therefore must have a fridge thermometer. The group needs to be able to check the temperature of food as it is cooked therefore the group must have a food thermometer probe. Everyone who is involved in food preparation must wear an apron as a barrier between clothes and the food. If the group is having a BBQ they must be able to check the temperature of the food as it is cooked and therefore will need a BBQ thermometer probe.

LUSU has sourced these products and offers them to you at a very reasonable price, for details see below:

Fridge Thermometer £3 each

Thermometer Probe £12.50 each (not suitable for BBQ's)

BBQ Probe £18 each

Full cotton Apron £5 each

Disposable Apron £4 (pack of 20)

These can all be ordered from the Activities Office or by emailing Alisdair