New legal resource for operators

A hub has been launched to provide down-to-earth guidance to help food businesses meet legal and legislative requirements, while o ering expert advice on good practice.

The Mint Guide, created and launched by industry experts, is a new online resource to help food business operators understand the legal obligations of hygiene and other key legislation.

The hub has been created as a joint project by the British Sandwich & Food to Go Association (BSA), the Café Life Association and the Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Association (PAPA), provided free of charge to members of the associations. Non-members can obtain the guide for an annual subscription of £45, which includes updates.

The Mint Guide has a wealth of up-tothe-minute guidance on everything from food safety and labelling, to training and employment advice, all presented in a simple, straightforward manner.

“It’s a resource we’ve been working on for some time – and are very pleased to announce its launch,” commented

Jim Winship, director of PAPA.

“As you can imagine, it’s taken a collaborative e ort with partners and stakeholders to pull together something as insightful as this. We can’t wait to share its worth with our members, as well as any other operators looking for downto-earth advice to help them conform with the many legal and legislative policies food businesses face these days.

“Across the whole hub, we have tried our very best to break down the jargon and make this as easy to read and simple to use as possible for businesses to meet obligations. We know, especially in the climate of change in our industry, that many individuals and businesses just don’t have the time to stop and read pages and pages of legal speak – we really hope The Mint Guide will make compliance easier for everyone.”

Members and subscribers will also be kept up to date with legislative changes likely to a ect their businesses, as well as revisions to guide chapters.

Aimed at any restaurant, food to go establishment or delivery business, it can be accessed online at www. themintguide.co.uk, from as little as £3.75 a month (based on its annual MINT plan). But retailers can enjoy the protection, access to helplines, low-cost training and other bene ts of association membership with its MINT MAX plan from £6.25 a month (based on its annual plan).

Winship concluded: “There’s a myth that trade associations are just talking shop. In reality, we provide a lot of support for the industries we represent, not least in making sure that their interests are heard by government.

“We hope that many will seek out the full membership plan as part of this launch and we can support them way beyond the pages of exclusive content.”

With due respect to the world’s great religions, there’s a certain reverence reserved for humankind’s great achievements – in art, in science, in sport – but here at PAPA HQ, we worship at the wood-fired temple of the pizza

As with many faiths, there’s a calendar of important dates through the year and so the Church of PAPA has reached one such moment in time – the launch of Pizza Chef of the Year.

And what a competition it looks set to be, with five great sponsors looking to challenge competitors to perform works of mystery and wonder in creating some incredible pizzas, all in the hope of claiming the top prize and taking their place in the litany of Pizza Chefs of the Year.

In the beginning

It all starts with a simple act of self-belief. Visit www.papaindustryawards.co.uk and register to enter. We’ll send out the sponsor ingredients and details of how to submit your recipes a little later in the year.

In the end

9th November 2023 is the date of the finals, which will be at Pizza Pilgrims in Camden during the day, with the winners in each category and the overall champion revealed that evening at the PAPA Awards Dinner.

Sponsored by

Pizza Pilgrims will be our hosts for the final this year. As well as serving customers with the brand’s classic Neapolitan favourites, their Camden store is home to the Pizza Academy which looks set to be the perfect venue for the Pizza Chef of the Year final.