Nationwide Caterers Association named Best Business in the Primary Authority Awards 2016
Kings Norton-based Nationwide Caterers Association (NCASS) has been named as the winner of the Business category in the Regulatory Delivery’s Primary Authority Awards. The awards are designed to recognise outstanding work by those involved in the Primary Authority scheme and to celebrate frontline success.
NCASS won the Business category, highlighting their commitment to helping mobile caterers comply with food safety regulations and reducing burdens on both member businesses and regulators by decreasing the number of inspections that caterers experience.
To these ends NCASS produced a common set of standards and due diligence pack, including online editable risk assessments that members can tailor to their individual needs. They also created the Connect system; an online database of members which allows enforcement officers to upload inspection reports to help inform other local authorities whether any enforcement contact is needed.
The Primary Authority Awards judges said:
“NCASS has embraced Primary Authority as a mechanism for assisting members to provide safe food and reduce the burdens on over-inspection. The Connect System is an innovative approach that enables local authorities to access, check and store information on transient businesses, enabling them to benefit from the same risk-based intervention frequencies as fixed-premises businesses.”
Bob Fox, NCASS Chairman, was delighted to win the prestigious award:
“Everyone at NCASS is thrilled to have won. To be recognised for the hard work we’ve put in since we entered a Primary Authority partnership three years ago feels really, really good.
“Primary Authority has not been without its challenges, but the benefits far outweigh the effort that’s gone into it. And the end result of having all our documentation becoming assured advice and guidance has been a massive advantage for our members.
“Being able to give our 3,500 members added support is really important to us – we wouldn’t be running NCASS if we didn’t care so much about helping caterers. So we must offer much thanks to our Primary Authority partners, Cherwell District Council, West Yorkshire Fire Department and Milton Keynes Council for helping us through this process, and especially Erica Sheward from BRDO.”