London 2012 organisers go for food safety gold at Olympic Games
Government to crack down on unlicensed food vendors and caterers seeking to cut corners to cash in on Olympic visitors
They may be the purveyors of the traditional – if notoriously greasy – staples enjoyed by millions of British sport fans, but the ubiquitous burger van could be hard to find at the London Olympics.
The government's food watchdog is cracking down on unlicensed vans selling burgers, hot dogs and fish and chips to the millions of visitors to the 2012 Games in an attempt to protect them from food poisoning and from being ripped off by rogue operators.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has released £1.5m to pay for an extra 14,700 food hygiene inspections from April to September, covering restaurants, pubs, stalls and vans across the country during the Olympics and Paralympics.
Inspectors face a raft of challenges from people trying to cash in on the Games, including an expected spike in bootleg alcohol, businesses stockpiling food due to delivery routes being cut and people serving food from their front gardens.
The drive will be led by hundreds of environmental health officials, overseen by 10 senior officers, providing advice and extra training to restaurants and caterers who fail additional hygiene and safety inspections.
Tough enforcement action will follow where public health is put at risk. Unlicensed street vendors near Olympic venues will have their vehicles seized.
Sarah Appleby, head of enforcement and local authority delivery at the agency, said: "London 2012 is about celebrating everything that the UK has to offer and food is an important part of this.
"We have so much fantastic food to showcase to Games visitors, and we want food business owners to ensure that everything they sell is the best it can be. It will be an exceptionally busy time for a lot of these businesses, and the FSA is providing extra support and advice to make sure they are well prepared to meet the challenge."
The move is likely to trigger fresh criticism of the stranglehold on Games food and drink held by sponsors McDonald's (its largest UK restaurant is in the Olympic Park), Cadbury and Coca-Cola. The latter alone will serve 23m soft drinks due to its near-monopoly at Olympics venues.
Airport-style security at the Olympic Park will prevent visitors from bringing their own food, though they will be able to refill bottles from water fountains.
In what is being dubbed the largest peacetime catering operation in the UK, Olympics organiser Locog is preparing to provide 14m meals – for 9 million visitors and 24,000 athletes and team officials – from the time the first athletes arrive at the end of June to the official shutdownafter the Paralympics in September, across 40 different locations.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/apr/03/london-2012-olympics-food-safety-crackdown
The government's food watchdog is cracking down on unlicensed vans selling burgers, hot dogs and fish and chips to the millions of visitors to the 2012 Games in an attempt to protect them from food poisoning and from being ripped off by rogue operators.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has released £1.5m to pay for an extra 14,700 food hygiene inspections from April to September, covering restaurants, pubs, stalls and vans across the country during the Olympics and Paralympics.
Inspectors face a raft of challenges from people trying to cash in on the Games, including an expected spike in bootleg alcohol, businesses stockpiling food due to delivery routes being cut and people serving food from their front gardens.
The drive will be led by hundreds of environmental health officials, overseen by 10 senior officers, providing advice and extra training to restaurants and caterers who fail additional hygiene and safety inspections.
Tough enforcement action will follow where public health is put at risk. Unlicensed street vendors near Olympic venues will have their vehicles seized.
Sarah Appleby, head of enforcement and local authority delivery at the agency, said: "London 2012 is about celebrating everything that the UK has to offer and food is an important part of this.
"We have so much fantastic food to showcase to Games visitors, and we want food business owners to ensure that everything they sell is the best it can be. It will be an exceptionally busy time for a lot of these businesses, and the FSA is providing extra support and advice to make sure they are well prepared to meet the challenge."
The move is likely to trigger fresh criticism of the stranglehold on Games food and drink held by sponsors McDonald's (its largest UK restaurant is in the Olympic Park), Cadbury and Coca-Cola. The latter alone will serve 23m soft drinks due to its near-monopoly at Olympics venues.
Airport-style security at the Olympic Park will prevent visitors from bringing their own food, though they will be able to refill bottles from water fountains.
In what is being dubbed the largest peacetime catering operation in the UK, Olympics organiser Locog is preparing to provide 14m meals – for 9 million visitors and 24,000 athletes and team officials – from the time the first athletes arrive at the end of June to the official shutdownafter the Paralympics in September, across 40 different locations.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/apr/03/london-2012-olympics-food-safety-crackdown
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