A survey in August that was sent to 5,000 food safety trainers and training centres by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) claims that that food safety training had been negatively affected by the economic climate due to ‘cost cutting’ measures. David Kidney, CIEH Head of Policy is quoted as saying “This survey is cause for concern and if this trend continues public health could be put at risk – potentially triggering a food poisoning time bomb. Proper instruction or training of food handlers in food hygiene is a legal obligation and businesses must ensure that their staff have the skills to ensure the health and wellbeing of the customers they serve.The economic downturn has meant many businesses have had to rein in spending, which is understandable, but quality training needs to be seen as an investment which protects your staff, your business and your company’s reputation. A food poisoning outbreak can be the death knell for a food business and can have a myriad of consequences from reputational damage to business failure.”