The opening of the new Consumers' Association(CA) Scottish office in Edinburgh was the occasion for Sheila McKechnie, CA Director, to launch a Consumers' Association campaign calling for the Food Standards Agency Scotland to introduce the mandatory licensing of all Scottish food premises, including manufacturers and caterers.
McKechnie handed over a petition calling for food licensing to John McAllion, convenor of the Scottish parliament's Petitions Committee.
The call follows the introduction of butchers' licensing in Scotland on 2 October 2000. Before butchers' licensing, Scotland had the highest incidence of food poisoning in the world - approximately four times the rate for the rest of the UK.
The Consumers Association reports that retailers and food groups supporting the campaign north and south of the border include: Safeway, Morrisons, J.D.Wetherspoon, Pizza Express and the National Federation of Meat and Food Traders.
This latest move was no doubt influenced by recent research from the University of Birmingham indicating that licensing of butchers in Birmingham has shown significant improvements in hygiene. The research took a 'before' and 'after' snapshot picture of butchers in Birmingham, first visiting 43 retail butchers in November 1998 - September 1999, then revisiting them and assessing the 22 who were still valid for the study between July - August 2001.
Using a hygiene audit and microbiological testing, the researchers found that butchers who had completed training and the implementation of food safety management systems necessary for licensing showed a significant improvement in hygiene scores.
Sheila McKechnie said:"There is quite simply an unacceptable level of food related illness in Scotland. Our new Scottish office will help take this message to the heart of the new parliament and ensure that this and other key consumer issues receive the prominence they deserve in Scotland."