So much of what we do has changed over the past year. As people across the globe hunkered down in their homes avoiding social contact, so habits were changing.
Our eating habits were amongst those changes. Many of us no longer felt safe eating in restaurants, cafes and pubs, and for long periods of time, they were closed.
More householders resorted to buying takeaway foods. Hardly surprising, who wants to cook every day? Some people, no longer able to make an income from their regular jobs, took to social media. They starting cooking and baking sessions. Food from many of the sessions was sold to local people looking for something a little different, something that they didn’t have to cook.
The result is that over the last year the Brits have increasingly bought food from unregistered food vendors and social media chefs. Oliver’s Kitchen commissioned a survey of 5000 British residents to examine this trend. They found that nearly 80% of the respondents had ordered food from unregistered sources. And according to this infographic, the outcomes have been somewhat patchy.
Food that isn’t prepared and stored under strict conditions can cause some very nasty illnesses. The symptoms include heartburn, nausea, chills, dizziness, diarrhoea and a high temperature.
By law, people planning to sell food to the public must register their business with their local authority. The authority must then arrange a health inspection at the premises. Businesses selling food from home must also ensure that they adhere to HACCP food safety measures.