Food safety regulations and regulators
How are Olio's food safety rules developed?
To ensure that our approach to food safety is fit for purpose and compliant with applicable regulations, we work hand in hand with our “Primary Authority” and our external food safety advisor, Sterling Crew.
Our Primary Authority in the UK is South Derbyshire District Council and we have been working with them since Day 1 to make sure that our food safety management system (FSMS) guarantees the safety of the redistributed food when applied properly. Since our business model is very unique, we have developed an equally unique FSMS, powered by technology, that we adhere to and enforce strictly.
You may notice that some of our rules and guidelines differ from or are stricter than standard regulations. This is intentional and has been decided in collaboration with our Primary Authority in order for our operations to be manageable at scale so we can safely save as much surplus food as possible.
What is a Primary Authority?
In the UK, a “Primary Authority” is a local authority’s environmental health department that takes on the responsibility of providing tailored advice and support on matters related to food safety to a business that operates in multiple locations. The Primary Authority’s advice and decisions must be followed by other local authorities when dealing with the same business, therefore promoting consistency across different areas.
What do I do if I have been contacted by my local authority?
If your local authority has been in touch asking you to explain your operations and/or to register as a food business, worry not! Your local authority may not know what Olio is or that you volunteer with us.
If you are based in the UK, you can tell them that Olio has “assured advice” from South Derbyshire District Council that its volunteers do not need to register individually as a food business with their local authority.
If you are based in the Republic of Ireland, you must register with your local authority before volunteering with us. Click here to learn more.
If you are based in another country, you do not need to register as a food business.
In any case, you can find all your formal documents in the "Documents" section of the Volunteer Hub which, along with your training and the guides in this FAQ section, make up your food safety documentation.