Officers from Environmental Health also carried out inspections of the school kitchens in which the successful candidates work. As a result of the new qualifications gained by staff and the excellent standard of hygiene within the kitchens, 28 primary schools, 5 secondary schools and 11 nurseries were given the prestigious “Eat Safe” Award.
The “Eat Safe” scheme was rolled out across Scotland in January 2005 by the Food Standards Agency. It aims to improve public confidence and consumer choice in catering establishments across the country. Since the scheme was launched, Environmental Health has awarded the Eat Safe Award to more than 40 food businesses within West Dunbartonshire.
Section Head for Environmental Health, John Stevenson said: “The REHIS qualification is a tough course which aims to give caterers a better understanding of the importance of Food Safety – the qualification is above what is generally required within catering and is tough for candidates to achieve.
“All of the catering staff took the training and exam head on, and an excellent number of passes were gained. This was also testimony to the quality of training provided by staff from the Environmental Health Section, who were delivering this course for the first time.”
The Council’s convener for Housing, Environmental and Economic Development, Councillor William Hendrie, added: “These recent achievements reflect the dedication of the catering staff within WDC school kitchens. They have worked exceptionally hard on what is a very challenging course and they continue to attain high standards of food safety and hygiene management in the kitchens where they work. We are pleased that this is now recognised with the attainment of so many Eat Safe Awards for our schools.”
