We are members of a Primary Authority user group, led by the Government Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). This is to increase member engagement in the Primary Authority Scheme that is available to all BFFF members.

Primary Authority is a means for businesses to receive assured and tailored advice on meeting regulations such as environmental health, trading standards or fire safety through a single point of contact. This ensures start-ups get it right at the outset and enables all businesses to invest with confidence in products, practices and procedures, knowing that the resources they devote to compliance are well spent.

Primary Authority is based on legal partnerships between businesses and individual local authorities and / or fire and rescue authorities. Businesses can set up their own partnership or join through BFFF as part of our existing partnership.

What is Primary Authority?

Primary Authority is a government run scheme that helps protect businesses from unnecessary legal challenges. It helps to ensure businesses operating in the food sector are doing so safely and legally.

Primary Authority is an extension of the old ‘Home Authority’ principle where your local authority and your business worked together to ensure you were on the right side of the law.

Government have recognised that enforcement and interpretation of legal   regulations was sometimes variable in its approach, and that many businesses operated outside their own local area, so in 2009 they launched the Primary Authority scheme.

The vision for Primary Authority is to allow business to ‘trade with confidence’ throughout England.

Once you have Primary Authority advice signed off within a registered partnership, your operating practices can’t be challenged by any other enforcement authority.

How Can the BFFF Scheme Benefit Your Business?

• We can facilitate access to a wealth of experience and understanding of the scheme.
• Over 30 pieces of sector wide advice – additional advice driven by member requirements.
• BFFF do all of the administration for setting up a scheme for you – just contact us and we will do the rest.
• Trade with confidence – no unnecessary enforcement queries.
• Can potentially save you money.
• Free to join – as it’s free why wouldn’t you?

Types of Partnership

There are 2 types of Primary Authority scheme; direct and coordinated.

Direct partnerships:

A direct partnership with a Primary Authority can look at your specific policies or operating procedures on site and assure themselves that you are operating within the law. In effect they endorse your operations and policies. Given their legal status as a Primary Authority partner this advice then has legal backing for your business.

Co-ordinated partnerships:

BFFF operates a co-ordinated Primary Authority scheme and we have an expanding range of sector-wide advice. This partnership operates in the same way as the direct partnership  but you don’t need to deal with the Primary Authority directly, BFFF does that for you. You can also rely on this advice as it also has the legal backing for your business.

Why Join the BFFF Scheme Now?

Any BFFF member can benefit from advice, whether it is tailored to your business or sectoral advice put in place by BFFF.

A series of unique BFFF schemes are available for Fire Safety, Health & Safety, Food Standards & Labelling, and Food Safety, please contact us for more information.

What if I Operate Outside England?

All primary authority advice should be seen as, at least, best practice – you can’t be going far wrong if you are following it.

However to have true legal standing in Wales you need to have the    advice signed off by a Welsh primary authority but don’t worry BFFF can help members  access the right advice from authorities based in Wales.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland the Scheme does not operate in the same way and separate advice may be needed, given some of the small differences in legal regulation in the food area. Discuss this with us and we can explain in more detail.

Click here for lists of the assured and industry level advice available

Tech 2022 Advice List

H&S 2022 Advice List

The OPSS have published a leaflet giving further information on the scheme pa-overview-2019A

If you would like more information about joining the scheme, please contact carlabrown@bfff.co.uk

The British Frozen Food Federation talks to Charles Fidler (People Safety Culture Manager) at Tesco about their workplace leadership and behavioural initiative

We were recently asked by those in membership to find out more about the Tesco S.T.A.R (See, Think, Act and Review) initiative to influence leadership and behaviour in the workplace.

Simon Brentnall Head of Health and Safety at BFFF recently set up a Q&A session with Charles Fidler (people safety culture manager) at Tesco to find out more.

Q1 – How did Tesco identify that they needed to introduce changes in safety culture / behavior?
A – Around 3.5 years ago Tesco started conversations on safety and decided to use data in a better way, to re-visit accidents and drill down further down to causes with job roles categorised. We looked at whether company training had been followed and our group H&S were also completing some cultural assessments.

Q2 – How was buy in from senior management gained and was there any resistance?
A – We faced no resistance from management in terms of trying to reduce the risk of colleague injuries, reduce lost time and reduce costs. Protecting our colleagues is top priority and we wanted to make sure we were approaching safety in the best way.

Q3 – How did Tesco come to choose / develop the STAR programme?
A – The distribution team first introduced a very basic form of the STAR programme with a see it, sort it approach for Fork Lift Truck operator behaviour. This reduced accidents by 33%.

Q4 – How was the STAR programme launched? Was there any phasing of it?
A – Originally launched in winter during a very busy time, stores received a toolkit with rewards to give to colleagues once they had completed the e-learning. There was also a briefing note, a behaviour framework, posters, and stickers sent out to continue highlighting the importance of this launch.

Q5 – Were any external resources used?
A – We mostly used internal resource, but we used an external design house for the e-learning package.

Q6 – Was any training provided? How did this change for different audiences?
A – There was an office team who sent briefing documents to Managers, Areas Managers and Store Directors and then a regional team approach with communication calls. There was an e-learning solution that went to all retail colleagues to help them understand their roles and responsibilities when it comes to safety.

Q7 – What key changes have been made to daily working life because of STAR?
A – There have been less accidents, as well as the main success being people talking about and engaging with Health & Safety and really beginning to set their own safety culture in their stores.

Q8 – How is the programme maintained / kept at the forefront of people’s minds?
A There has been no relaunch or refresh, but we have been building upon what has already been done – for example, referencing STAR on safety related communications.

Q9 – Is the programme communicated to new starters?
A – Yes this forms part of our career learning pathway for new starters.

Q10 How is the success of the STAR programme monitored or measured?
A – We are looking at the improvements in accident/incident data and that of monitoring colleagues.

Q11 – How are deviations / negative observations corrected?
A The initiative works on the basis of taking personal responsibility for health & safety and acting upon it, colleagues can follow the S.T.A.R. behaviours to help them make safer decisions and follow their training.

Q12 – Is safety culture / behaviour different now?
A – Yes, people are now talking about and engaging with Health & Safety, and it appears to be on everyone’s agenda so we have improved this dialogue.
Q13 – What changes to STAR have been made since the initial launch?
A – The initiative has been extended into Central Europe, Ireland, One Stop and Booker.

Q14 – Is there anything they would change if they did it again?
A – We would keep 75% of the initiative, with some changes into how it integrates into other Tesco initiatives such as the shopping trip (customer metrics).

Q15 What aspects are Tesco most proud of?
A – The hard work the team has put into this. We are proud of every part that we’ve played in achieving our goal of everyone, every day, home safely.