Primary Authority helps organic growth
7 June 2010
Organic food firm Daylesford Organics and West Oxfordshire District Council have become the latest partnership to pioneer a scheme that will reduce time and money spent on administration, and make it simpler to deliver safe products to customers.
Daylesford Organics manufactures high quality ready-meal food products. The company is based in Kingham, Oxfordshire but also has stores and cafes in Gloucestershire and London.
Its innovative partnership with West Oxfordshire District Council's Food Safety Team establishes the council as the company's single point of contact - the Primary Authority - for food hygiene issues.
Isabelle Pointu of Daylesford Organics said: "Currently our organic food stores are under the control of different councils, each interpreting food legislation in different ways.
"Working in partnership with West Oxfordshire District Council, we will have one food safety system across all our organic food stores, saving us time, money, and ensuring consistent compliance to current legislation and food safety."
For companies operating under two or more local councils, the Primary Authority scheme provides reliable and consistent advice from a single source when dealing with environmental health, trading standards, health and safety, and licensing services.
Currently, businesses run the risk of prosecution, even if they follow official advice, if local inspectors disagree about how to interpret regulations. This can also result in discrepancies in protection for consumers, workers and the environment.
The Primary Authority scheme is administered by LBRO, the public body responsible for better regulation. Chairman Clive Grace said: "Primary Authority means simpler, fairer and more successful local regulation, based on a new relationship between councils and businesses.
"The new partnership between West Oxfordshire District Council and Daylesford Organic adds to the momentum behind the scheme, and we expect to see many more partnerships this year."
West Oxfordshire District Council will liaise with other councils to ensure that inspection and enforcement action reflects the advice given. It will be working with Daylesford Organics to produce a national inspection plan, giving guidelines to other councils to avoid unnecessary checks and tests.
Cllr David Harvey, West Oxfordshire District Council's Cabinet Member for Environment, said: "This is an excellent example of partnership working which helps to achieve greater efficiency for a local company. By working with Daylesford Organics we can make regulation processes more efficient, reduce unnecessary burdens and avoid duplication.
"The scheme also enables the council to support the local economy and protect the community by providing a mechanism for achieving higher standards of public health and safety."
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Media enquiries to Jo Barker or Roland Curtis. Tel: 0121 226 4019.
Email: jo.barker@lbro.org.uk or roland.curtis@lbro.org.uk