‘Unsafe food’ contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances is linked to 200 diseases, from diarrhoea to cancers, the World Health Organization notes.
“Of the UK’s 10,990 food and drink manufacturing businesses, 97% are classed as SMEs in information collated by the Food & Drink Federation and in 2020 up to the end of June 2021, the number of new food and drink start-ups launched in the UK had risen by 47%.
“Months of lockdown provided the time to cook up new food-based business ideas, driven by the desire to no longer be restricted by the constraints of corporate culture.
“Sadly, it appears that whilst the level of knowledge on critical food safety issues has increased, the application of that knowledge has not necessarily followed suit.
The solution to this challenge, Russell believes, is leveraging industry knowledge and experience.