Balloon Tree Farmshop and Café an example of good food hygiene (From York Press)

Balloon Tree Farmshop and Café an example of good food hygiene

3:11pm Tuesday 7th September 2010 in

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The award-winning Balloon Tree Farmshop and Café in Gate Helmsley is being held up as an example of how to maintain high standards of food hygiene.

Deliciouslyorkshire, the food branding organisation, has launched a new service for catering, hospitality and retail food businesses in the region looking to improve their food safety controls.

The service has been specifically developed to help local businesses formalise their food safety systems, providing them with the fundamentals required for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) food business hygiene ratings and enabling them to take their company to the next level.

Improving quality and safety standards, while maintaining profitability, is one of the biggest barriers encountered by businesses looking to expand. Inevitably, as larger quantities of food are handled and as bigger contracts are won, more onerous conditions are demanded.

The family-run Balloon Tree, is now seeing the financial benefits of this latest initiative.

The venture has already won the New Business Of The Year title in The Press Business Awards 2004, and the following year went on not only to win Retailer Of The Year and Growth Business Of The Year but also scooped the overall winner's title.

But during this period of phenomenal growth, The Balloon Tree’s original food safety systems gradually became obsolete. Now deliciouslyorkshire is working with the business to provid it with e a comprehensive and personalised system.

The system addresses the increasing visibility of food business hygiene ratings as a result of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) new “Scores on the Doors” Scheme and the flexible nature of this expanding food market.

Catherine Riley, deliciouslyorkshire food technologist, said: “Our food safety manual allows an extensive system to be implemented that provides businesses with the perfect foundation on which they can build towards the five stars they should be achieving.

“The Balloon Tree represents an excellent example of a successful, expanding business that has taken advantage of the many benefits that deliciouslyorkshire has to offer.”

Matthew Machin, managing director of The Balloon Tree expressed his gratitude towards deliciouslyorkshire for their help through the manuel, stating: “We are extremely happy as a business to be part of deliciouslyorkshire, as it means we are able to receive expert guidance in areas we wouldn’t ordinarily know about. deliciouslyorkshire constantly endeavours to promote local businesses and locally sourced foods, something which strongly reflects our own motto.”