MEMBERS UPDATE 10 APRIL 2022

Covid 19 Strategic framework update

Masks in public places like shops and on public transport have been in place for longer than anticipated due to the high number of cases.
On 4 April they will not be required in places of worship and from 18 April they will not be legally enforceable in shops and on public transport.

Businesses were legally required to take steps to reduce the spread of Covid, including physical distancing and screens.
That ended on 21 March, as did the legal requirement to retain customers' contact details.

The existing rules on self-isolation will remain in place for now.

People who test positive for Covid in Scotland will be allowed to exit self-isolation after seven days if they have no fever and record two negative lateral flow tests.

The first of these tests must be taken on the sixth day after testing positive and then at least 24 hours later.
In addition, household contacts of people with the virus can take a lateral flow test every day for seven days rather than going into self-isolation.

This applies to everyone in the household under the age of 18 or anyone over that age who has had the first, second and booster Covid jabs.

If one of these tests is positive, self-isolation will then be required for that person.
Anyone identified as a close contact who is aged over 18 and four months and not fully vaccinated will still be asked to self-isolate for 10 days and take a PCR test.

For those with symptoms of Covid, the advice remains to book a PCR test.
However, people returning a positive lateral flow test who have no symptoms are no longer required to take a PCR test to confirm the result. Instead, they will be asked to isolate immediately and report their result online.

A paper has been published by the Scottish Government on the future of testing for Covid in Scotland.

Over the next month, there will be no changes to the testing advice currently in place – which means that we are still advised to take two lateral flow tests a week, daily for seven days if they are a close contact of a positive case and for whenever they are visiting someone who is vulnerable.
People who have symptoms of Covid should continue to get a PCR test.
From April 18, people in Scotland will no longer be advised to take a lateral flow test two times a week. This advice will also stand for workplaces, early learning and childcare settings, mainstream and special schools, and universities and colleges.
All routine population wide testing is also expected to end from the end of April, including for those who have symptoms of the virus.
Physical test sites will close from then, but mobile testing units and lab capacity will be retained for “longer term testing purposes”.
From May 1, testing will then move from population wide to something more 'targeted'. This will include supporting clinical care and treatment, protect higher risk settings, for surveillance, outbreak management and responding to significant developments, such as a new variant.

The existing rules on self-isolation will remain in place for now.
People who test positive for Covid in Scotland will be allowed to exit self-isolation after seven days if they have no fever and record two negative lateral flow tests.
The first of these tests must be taken on the sixth day after testing positive and then at least 24 hours later.
In addition, household contacts of people with the virus can take a lateral flow test every day for seven days rather than going into self-isolation.
This applies to everyone in the household under the age of 18 or anyone over that age who has had the first, second and booster Covid jabs.
If one of these tests is positive, self-isolation will then be required for that person.
Anyone identified as a close contact who is aged over 18 and four months and not fully vaccinated will still be asked to self-isolate for 10 days and take a PCR test.

Members Zoom Meeting

Dial in details will be issued by separate e-mail shortly

FSS and FSA advise consumers on substitution of ingredients in certain food products to avoid food supply disruption

Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency are advising consumers that some food products labelled as containing sunflower oil may instead contain refined rapeseed oil. This is happening to maintain the supply of certain food products containing ingredients that have become increasingly difficult to source because of the conflict in Ukraine.
The majority of the UK's sunflower oil comes from Ukraine with Russia making up a substantial portion of the rest. Food businesses are reporting that UK supplies of sunflower oil are likely to run out in a few weeks with some businesses already experiencing severe difficulties.
This has led to some food manufacturers urgently replacing sunflower oil with refined rapeseed oil before being able to make the change on the label. We are therefore advising that food products labelled as containing sunflower oil may instead have been produced using refined rapeseed oil and consumers should look out for additional information being provided by retailers and manufacturers to stay informed.
Emily Miles, FSA Chief Executive said:
“FSA and FSS have been working hard to understand the recent pressures on our food supply chain and the interim measures needed to make sure certain foods – like crisps, breaded fish, frozen vegetables and chips – remain on sale here.
We have looked at the immediate food safety risk of substituting sunflower oil with refined rapeseed oil – particularly to people with a food allergy – and it is very low. We know allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are very rare and – if they do occur – are mild.
Retaining consumer trust remains an absolute priority for both organisations and we are urgently working with the food industry and other partners to ensure labels on food where sunflower oil has been replaced by refined rapeseed oil are made accurate as soon as possible.”
The FSA and FSS are working across government and the food industry to understand the challenges and ensure food supply is maintained in a way that is safe and in the interests of consumers.
Andrea Martinez-Inchausti, Deputy Director of Food at the British Retail Consortium, said:
“The war in Ukraine has disrupted supplies of sunflower oil to the UK. Where sunflower oil exists as an ingredient in products, retailers will be substituting it with other safe oils, such as rapeseed oil. Retailers are looking to change product labels as soon as possible; where sunflower oil is a key ingredient, such as crisps, retailers will imprint information on substitute oil onto existing labels. Retailers' customer services will be answering questions on all their own brand products. “
We have published the rapid risk assessment into the substitution of sunflower oil with refined rapeseed oil as part of our commitment to making public the science and evidence underpinning our advice and guidance.

Corporate Member Offer

ScobiesDirect would like to exclusively offer Scottish Craft members a FREE tub of the new MRC Gold Seal oil marinades with their next order.
Please email Yvonne on [email protected], with your choice of the following; CHINESE, HOT & SPICY, MINT, PIRI PIRI, ARGENTINE & INDIAN . Offer ends 30th April.

Please find the marinades here for product descriptions – www.scobiesdirect.com/e/577.

Gordon King: [email protected] 07917524313
Bruce McCall: [email protected] 07834490922
The Scottish Craft Butchers office in Perth is staffed every weekday.
We will be available to our members to answer any queries via email or by mobile phone
and will be available out of office hours for any members wanting to contact us.