Episode 10 Food Fighters

We're a nation of food lovers and today there's more choice than ever.

Now whether you're eating in or taking away,

there's always the chance that something can go wrong.

So it's a good job there's a whole army of people working hard to keep us safe.

They're the food fighters.

Coming up today: festival fever.

-Will the food fighters put cold water on this party?

-We're at 49.

Right, so that's well and truly within the danger zone,

and I haven't met a food trader that's ever wanted to kill anybody.

In the dock. Why this forbidden fruit is under the microscope.

It looks a bit fungal.

It's a little bit unusual, I haven't seen that before.

And I'm in hospital to learn about protecting these high-risk diners.

We are feeding patients with very low immune systems

so we do have to have very, very high standards.

In the summer months Britain gets into the party spirit with dozens of festivals across the country.

As well as music, those one-off events also serve up of dishes,

but with make-shift tents, lack of fridges and barbecue cooking,

the risk to the revellers are pretty high.

So you'll be pleased to know there's a team of environmental health officers

around the country who also join the party.

Avenham Park, Preston. The annual Caribbean festival is in full swing.

It's all here at the festival. Trust me. Look around you. You see?

Style. Plenty. Me, I'm here in abundance!

Among the revellers is an army of food stalls hoping to keep the party people fed and watered.

I love my food, I'm not telling a lie.

I love my food, don't ask me why.

But is the food safe?

Well, environmental health officers Gillian Hall and Alison Dempsey are going to find out.

The jerk chicken on the barbecue.

There are a lot of high risk activities today.

We've got people catering outdoors.

We've got people catering on a large scale,

so the potential for something to go wrong could be quite great.

So just what are the risks at this festival?

Well, first up, there's the temporary tents.

Many of those don't have fridges or hot water to keep the bacteria at bay.

Then there's the food itself.

Lots of rice and chicken, both notorious poisoners if not handled properly.

And how about the cooking?

From barbecues to make-shift ovens...

so there's plenty here to dampen the party spirit.

Hi.

No time for Gillian and Alison to waste, then, they better get moving.

Hi.

The first stall that catches their eye is this one, Vee's Caribbean food.

It's serving up curry and rice.

-So is this goat curry?

-Yes.

It smells lovely.

And jerk chicken cooked up on a barbecue.

-Come rain or shine, you'll be here!

-That's right!

-While Gillian gets to grips with the grub...

-Let's have a look round there.

..round the back, Alison is checking how they're doing the dishes.

This is the washing-up area.

And there's me asking my husband for a new kitchen! OK.

If you've brought your rice out here to wash,

are you doing on the surface or does it go in a container?

-Yeah, I put it into that.

-That is just a washing up bin?

-Yes.

-Right.

The tiny washing up bowl is no match for the huge pans

that are used to cook rice, so this stallholder uses a dustbin.

When you've cleaned it and you've got water in there,

that's got contamination like rice and things like that,

how are you getting rid of that water?

-I chuck it.

-You chuck it, yeah. If you just throw...

-A big mess.

You make a mess and people of Preston won't be terribly impressed as their rat population will go up

because there's all this lovely food for these rats to eat.

We just need to make sure that the water is just water that's going onto the grass.

# There's a rat in the kitchen What am I gonna do?

# There's a rat in the kitchen What am I gonna do? #

This dirty dish water would be a feast for any roaming rodents,

and I'm pretty sure their names are not down on this guest list.

So the owner does agree to find a better solution.

Round the front, the barbie is well away, cooking up some delicious-looking jerk chicken,

but like at home, barbecues can be risky,

and with a park full of punters, these better be getting it right.

The main danger when cooking on barbecues, it's quite difficult to control the heat

this is why he's damping down fires, so the meat can get very well-cooked on the outside,

but the inside is not fully cooked or raw in the middle.

They look dark enough, but if you eat that you might get sick.

If you don't cook the it properly there could be contamination with salmonella.

It's associated with chicken.

Cases of food poisoning double in the summer months

when we have more barbecues.

One option is to cook your meat in the oven first,

then put it on your barbie to flavour.

Make sure the coals are white hot before starting.

And turn your food regularly so it cooks evenly.

But there's nothing foul about this chicken.

-It's got to be well done.

-Right.

The cook is on the money when it comes to his barbecue grilling.

Just time, then, to check the storage tubs under the canvas.

We've got this lid which has seen better days, hasn't it?

Unfortunately, this plastic is not that fantastic.

We've got such sharp pieces and we've got pieces that are missing,

well, if you've got sharp pieces that come off,

it could be embedded in somebody's product and then cause a choking hazard.

It's not just a food safety, as in bacteriological,

we are looking at physical safety.

-So you'll throw that away?

-Yes, I will.

-OK. Thank you.

She's got a few good things on her menu,

her curried goat will attract a lot of people in.

We have got the jerk chicken going on here.

Total separation, a bit between the two activities,

and as long as he's putting food carefully across

which Gill has been checking, then we should be looking all right with that.

This stall is doing a really good job here despite the difficult circumstances.

Thank you.

So that's Vee's down, and many more to go.

-Alison and Gillian flip from stall to stall...

-Hi.

-..checking hygiene standards...

-Smoky! You need a gas mask to go in here, don't you?

..and what's actually being cooked, which is sometimes harder than it sounds.

-That's curried mutton.

-Right. You're not doing goat.

-Curried mutton, curried goat.

-They're two different animals. No!

One's a sheep, one's a goat.

The inspectors are welcome to check to make sure we're doing things right.

My stall is good!

Next stop, Big Bird, a caravan dishing up spicy rice and curries.

It's run by Gemmill Johnson, but his van hardly lives up to its name.

There is not a lot of room on these, is there, really?

You have got your probe thermometer. OK, brilliant.

Is it working? What sort of things do you check with your probe thermometer?

-I check everything with it.

-And what temperature are you looking for when you're checking?

Well, I cook at 75 and I keep them at 63.

So, cook above 75 and your hot holding is at 63 degrees.

Gemmill's know-how is spot on, but this is high-risk stuff.

-You made this yourself?

-Yeah.

If the heat isn't on his rice,

this party could have a lot of poorly people.

That's really hot, isn't it? That's going up to 99 degrees.

That's right in the middle there.

It can be a high-risk food item particularly cooking big quantities of rice like you are.

Obviously, we're expecting large amounts of people here today so we've got a big pan of rice.

So fingers crossed we're going to sell all this rice today.

The grub is good, but is his washing up squeaky clean?

I'm checking he's got adequate hand-washing facilities.

Because we're on a mobile vehicle, he's not got the washing up bowl like some of the stalls have.

He's got a little sink and has hot water from the urn going directly into the sink.

This is better because the hot water and the cold can be mixed together

and can drain out as you have the plug at the bottom,

but hand washing is extremely important,

particularly if you're handling raw meat and burgers and things

because of the cross-contamination issues.

OK, and we've got the paper roll.

Obviously paper roll is much better for drying your hands on

because cloth towels can become damp, they can get dirty,

all you're doing then when you're drying your hands on a tea towel is re-contaminating your hands.

Paper towels are a better way of drying your hands

because they're clean every time and you throw them away after you've dried your hands.

OK. Thank you. Bye.

Gillian's happy and so is Gemmill.

It's good for the people to make sure the food is done properly in a healthy and clean way.

That's what it's all about, and everybody can enjoy a day out

and enjoy their food and just go on their merry way.

But there are still many more stalls to check.

And with the weather taking a turn for the worse,

there could be more problems for the team to tackle.

Later, protecting poorly patients.

I get to go behind the scenes of a hospital kitchen.

I always think this is the most exciting part of any food operation.

Checking up the deliveries when they come in. I love it!

As a chef, I try to use locally sourced produce whenever I can,

but some ingredients like this pineapple or even this tuna have to be shipped in from overseas.

So how do we know these types of food are safe to eat?

Well, at our ports and docks across the country,

there's a band of food fighters and they're battling to keep the bad stuff out.

Over 100,000 commercial vessels dock at Southampton every year.

They bring in food from all over the world.

Ready to be shipped out to our supermarkets and restaurants.

But amidst all that traffic,

how can we be sure that we're not importing bad things too?

I'm Sandra Westacott. I'm the team leader at Southampton Port Health Authority.

Sandra is the last line of defence.

Protecting our food chain from anything harmful.

Every day, she carries out checks on a range of food imports at border inspection points.

This morning, it's a shipment of fish from Vietnam.

Pangasius is a very popular fish now in the United Kingdom.

More and more people are interested in trying different cuisines,

different exotic species, very nutritious fish, very good quality.

Now you might not have heard of it,

but pangasius or Vietnamese river cobbler is a substitute for cod,

and it's used in many of our Chinese meals.

But if Sandra finds anything fishy here,

it will be going straight in the bin.

These are the cartons of pangasius from the container

and we're looking to see that the product has come from the correct establishment.

The approval number for the veterinary establishment is here.

And we check on the cartons as well for the establishment number, and we can see it here.

But ultimately, it's what's on the inside that counts.

I have to have a few muscles in this.

If the fish hasn't been properly frozen for its long journey from Vietnam, bacteria could be lurking.

Very well-packaged and very well-protected in a waxed carton.

Sandra's happy with what she's seeing,

and it seems it's got age in its favour.

The fillets are really quite small here, so that's quite a young fish.

Sometimes you can get fish, farmed fish, that are really, very, very large,

and in that sort of situation, the older the fish is,

the more time it has to accumulate any environmental contaminants

such as pesticides, or dioxins.

But fish this young don't have that much time to do that.

The first couple of boxes look OK, but Sandra needs to dig deeper.

It is important to keep opening up the cartons.

Just because you've seen a couple at the start and they look good,

you can't make an assumption that everything is going to be correct inside.

The Vietnamese fish gets the thumbs-up, and it's allowed past the post.

But this is just one of hundreds of checks that take place every day.

And right around the country,

there's a small army of food fighters protecting our shores.

Our next port of call is Felixstowe.

Not really the kind of place you'd expect to see a vet,

but believe me, they have a very important job to do.

My name is Simon Rowell and my job is to make sure that animal products are fit for human consumption.

Vets like Simon decide whether animal products are safe to enter.

On his list today, boxes of chicken from Thailand.

Just like the frozen fish, Simon needs to know that this chicken

has stayed frozen on its 3,000 mile journey to the UK.

These are infrared thermometers which are simply measuring surface temperature,

but they have the advantage that they are very, very quick.

The disadvantage is, because it's measuring surface,

you have to take the temperature almost straightaway

otherwise the surface will warm up and give you a false reading.

We're getting temperatures well below minus 18 which is fine.

This chicken will be sent off to our food factories to make your ready meals.

But only if it gets Simon's green light.

If there had been problems with the refrigeration during the journey over,

what happens is that the lumps start to melt together

and you get a block

and that's a good indication that something's not right.

The fact that these are all nice and loose, is a good sign.

And the best way to check this chicken,

well, Simon has become a human guinea pig.

OK, this is the thawed and cooked product.

It's perfect. That's rather good actually.

This chicken doesn't just taste good, it's also safe.

When I go back to the office, I'll be releasing this

and it can go on its way.

So we've already seen meat and fish. So what's missing?

How about our five a day?

Back in Southampton, an Asian consignment has just arrived

and DEFRA vet, Amanda,

is a food fighter who'll decide if it's forbidden fruit.

We've got some mandarins from Pakistan today.

Because they are coming in from outside the EU,

we need to inspect them to make sure they are from pests and diseases.

We can't really grow mandarins in Britain, so they have to be imported,

but yet again, they can only come in if Amanda says so.

All I'm doing is just inspecting 20 fruit from each box.

Ten boxes, that gives us a good chance of catching anything

that's going to be in the consignment if there is anything wrong with that.

Amanda is on the look out for any dodgy marks on the outside of the fruits.

It's just, there's a black mark on the skin there,

so I'm just looking at it to see if it's anything interesting.

It just looks like some dirt or something, it's nothing to be worried about.

But then, something suspicious.

On the top there, you can see the scarring around the top

and it's not indicative of the kinds of things I'm looking for,

but it's a little bit unusual, I haven't seen that before.

I'll send it off and see what they come up with up at the lab.

It looks a little bit fungal,

so I just send it off and see what they say.

Amanda is taking no chances.

As the last line of defence on our borders,

she needs to be certain this fruit is safe for us to eat.

In a few days time, these mandarins will be under the microscope.

Later, the perks of a food fighter's job.

That's really very good. Excellent.

Hospital food doesn't exactly enjoy a sparkling reputation.

But here at Darlington Memorial Hospital,

they've managed to turn much maligned grub into award-winning cuisine.

Like most hospitals, they prepare all the food on site from scratch.

It's a big responsibility to take on,

because in a place where people are vulnerable

and their immune systems are likely to be very low,

the last thing you can afford is an outbreak of food poisoning.

This hospital serves over 800 meals every single day.

They have to make dinners for children, the elderly,

allergy sufferers as well as very sick patients.

So the heat is really on for them to get it right.

It's 6:30am and the kitchens are already in full swing.

They prepare up to 20,000 meals a week out of here.

Through here is the very start of the operation.

It's where the supplies are delivered and the food fighters are doing some vital checks.

Like in my own kitchen,

the food fighting begins the moment the supplies arrive at the back door.

Six red peppers, six green and six yellow.

Monica and Jeff are the food safety gate keepers.

How are you doing, Jeff? All right.

I always think this is the most exciting part of any food operation,

checking off the deliveries when they come in.

I love it. Anything exciting this morning?

We're checking for the quality of all the deliveries that come in.

We've got pineapples and we just check round.

If I'm not happy with the quality, I see the restaurant manager

and see what she wants to do.

Either send them back or if she's prepared to keep them.

In terms of the quality and safety of it,

really your role is so vital to it.

At the end of the day, you're the first port of call.

If something comes past you that isn't the standard it should be,

then it falls apart from there.

-Do you want me to give you a hand?

-Yeah, you can do.

Early item of food is checked

and then checked in before its even allowed inside the kitchen.

From this point on, this man is in charge.

My name is Stuart Wray and it's my job to ensure that safe,

high quality food is supplied from this hospital.

Stuart's job here is different to other catering managers.

Most hospitals buy in their food ready cooked,

but at Darlington, they like to set themselves a challenge.

Everything is cooked from scratch.

-Good morning.

-Hi.

-You all right?

-Yes.

I've always heard very good things about your hospital.

You're renowned across the whole of the country.

What is it you do that's so different to everybody else?

What it is, is to have a hospital kitchen that's quite unique.

Most new hospitals that are built, won't actually have any kitchens.

One of the most important things, in any food industry,

but particularly in hospitals,

the health and safety issues with the food,

must be absolutely up there in terms of importance for you.

We're feeding patients that have got very low immune systems,

so anything that me or you could catch out there,

we might be able to fend it off, but persons lying in bed couldn't.

We do have to have, very, very high standards.

Right then, let's get going.

I want to see how hospital cooking is different to what I do.

-I can sniff, can we look at what you're cooking?

-Of course we can.

On the menu today, steak casserole and fish and chips.

And boy, that's what I call a super-sized pan.

This is always going to be my favourite bit, the production.

A standard production kitchen, big black pans, lots of lovely stuff.

What's in here?

-That's the casserole.

-Look at that, that's gorgeous.

What are your problems in here then in terms of health and safety,

what are the critical things?

All food, when it's cooked, has to be cooked at 75 degrees.

It's probed.

Once it's 75 degrees, it's put in disposable boxes

and it has to get down to our chillers within 30 minutes.

Because meals aren't served straightaway,

they must be cooled quickly to stop bacteria breeding.

A huge blast chiller gets meals quickly through

the dodgy temperature danger zone.

So quick in fact, the bacteria doesn't stand a chance.

And once it's down to three degrees, the food is safe

and can be packaged ready to go to the wards to be reheated.

What about cold foods? The sandwiches and salads, fruits and desserts?

Well, they're all made in a slightly scary sounding place.

This is the door through to the high-risk area.

So how do they turn high-risk into low-risk?

This food won't be cooked,

so any lurking bacteria won't be killed off.

The room must be germ-free.

Gary is the food fighter in charge?

-Gary, how are you doing?

-Fine.

This is one of those things

that I feel a little bit like I'm in the X-Files,

that I'm entering high-risk area.

Now it's an expression we hear a lot in the food industry.

What exactly does it mean?

High-risk area is anything that doesn't go through the cooking cycle.

For example, cold sweets, salad items, we make our own sandwiches here,

processed meats what we slice on the slicing machine.

How then do you have make sure that in our high-risk area

that we're working in a low-risk way?

Every day, every morning, I'll take samples

of random production tables from the sandwich bench.

Every day we do the meat slicer. For instance, I will swab this.

Put the Q-tip swab into a liquid,

shake it and then place it in this machine.

This test checks for bacteria levels.

Anything under 199 is acceptable, but the lower the better.

-As you can see here, the reading there is 13.

-Wow.

-It is very, very low.

-Wow.

The stuff made here is now ready to enter the hospital food chain.

Every patient is given a menu with a whopping 42 different choices.

And what you don't see when you're in hospital

are these guys making sure everyone gets what they ordered.

Two pie, one hot-pot.

Finally, the meals are on wheels

and sent up to the mini kitchens on every ward.

OK, cheers.

Now the food has been transported from downstairs here to be reheated,

but is that the end of the food fighters job?

No, of course, it isn't. Now it's the ward staff

who take up the food fighters rein.

-Hi, Linda, it smells nice in here.

-Yeah.

What are you doing now?

-I'm probing so the food is all over 75.

-OK.

-To ensure it's killed all the bacteria.

-Yes.

So we are well up, aren't we?

What do you do, a sample across the whole of the...?

You do one potato, about three main courses, veg, soup, two sweets.

-Once you've done that, then we can go and feed the hungry patients?

-Yeah.

And finally the food is ready for the new mums on the maternity ward.

-That nice?

-It's lovely.

So from the back door to the patient's beds,

the food fighters have been with these meals every step of the way.

And that's how this hospital really is breaking the mould.

As well as paying great attention to detail to all the health and safety aspects,

they're cooking fantastic food here on site.

So if you do end up here,

at least you know the food will help speed your recovery.

OK, can I just wash my hands then?

Coming clean at the Caribbean carnival.

-Why have you not got the urn today?

-I forgot it. I'm sorry.

-It's really important that you've hot water, isn't it?

-I know.

I've certainly noticed a real rise in the amount

and range of food that we're importing.

So it's reassuring to know that food fighters are checking it.

Earlier we saw DEFRA's Amanda inspect some mandarins from Pakistan

with suspicious looking skin.

But food fighters like Amanda don't always work alone.

Sometimes they have to call in the reinforcements.

These are the labs of the Food Environmental Research Agency in York.

Scientists here inspect suspicious looking fruit and veg

to stop diseases and infections getting in our country.

My name is Dr Paul Beales.

My role here is to identify diseases on plants,

produce and seeds.

Paul has been asked to inspect those dodgy looking mandarins.

The reason it was sent in was because it had

these nasty little lesion around the stalk area of this fruit.

With all these diseases, when looking at a symptom like that,

you have to carry out a bit of detective work

to hone in and find out what is actually causing the problem.

The lesions might be a sign of disease which could harm our crops or even humans.

Now the particular diseases, I would be concerned about,

there is one called citrus black spot

and there is another one, a citrus canker as well.

Now looking at this,

from my experience, I know that this isn't a typical symptom

of these particular pathogens.

However I wouldn't just leave it at that.

I would have to carry out further examinations

on this fruit and this is what I did.

Paul carried out detailed microscopic analysis,

but now he's happy that this fruit is innocent and there's no reason

why it can't hit our supermarket shelves.

There was no evidence of any fungi that was found on this.

No evidence of any bacteria found on it

or any other pest or disease

that would cause harm to the fruit produce

or the growing industry in other parts of Europe.

It's likely these marks were simply bruises

after the mandarins took a battering in transit, but it's amazing to think

that such a simple food could come under such scrutiny.

Back at Southampton, and the shipments keep coming.

DEFRA vet Patricia Gonzales is here to give them a clean bill of health.

This is a consignment of duck spring rolls coming from Thailand.

As you can see the roll is already packed with the price in pounds.

Until recently, duck spring rolls were classed as a low-risk import,

but the recent bird flu epidemic means Patricia has to be cautious.

In this particular case because of bird flu, poultry products,

this is duck, can come from Thailand only they have been heat treated.

The paper trail is in order.

Next there is a weigh-in to make sure no-one is being short changed.

This particular one was 208 grams.

Which is OK.

It's a little bit more than what the retail packs say,

but when we're going to buy a product,

we wouldn't be happy if we pay for 200 grams and get 195.

They normally overfill it a bit.

208 is more or less what we would expect.

So we now know we are getting what we pay for,

but the important question remains, is it safe?

As you can see, it is pretty much impossible for me

to see the duck inside here.

Well, to get the answer, Patricia is going to have to defrost one.

If there was any problem with the product,

if there was not good smell or something like that,

I wouldn't be able to detect it now when it's still frozen,

it is quite difficult. It's possible, but difficult.

So hopefully after defrosting it,

I shall be able to say the product is safe.

It is fine and it can be released to be imported into the UK,

to be consumed by anybody in the UK.

If the spring rolls fail this final test

then this will be the end of their journey.

This is what I would expect to see.

Normal spring roll.

It doesn't look very nice now I have squished it all.

This soggy looking sample aside,

this product will soon be rolling out to our shelves.

But not all products that arrive at our ports are ready to sell.

In Felixstowe, vet Simon Raoul is saying "g'day" to another arrival.

135 barrels all the way from Australia.

It might look a bit industrial, but inside is some tasty tucker.

With a box carried at room temperature,

it is just worth checking for any evidence of insect infestation.

This is how honey from Down Under comes into our country.

A consignment of honey a few months ago which was from a country in Africa

that we've never had anything from before.

Obviously, we decided we would have a look at that

and when we looked in the...

they were actually in large plastic tanks when we looked in them,

we found that, in the tanks, as well as the honey

there were bits of shredded rubber, plastic and so on.

Unacceptable contamination.

Now, clearly these barrels are not going to go in your kitchen cupboards.

The honey needs to be sent off to packers to be pasteurised

and popped into more user-friendly pots,

but not before Simon is happy that the barrels are bonza.

First, he needs to check the honey's passport -

a health certificate to show it's safe and not going to make any of us crook.

You can see that we have the exporter,

Honey Down Under Party, which is what is on the health certificate.

The grade of honey, this is light amber, which, again, is as described on the certificate here.

So now we need to look and see what the honey itself is like.

Because unrefined honey is a raw product, it can ferment

even when kept in these sealed tubs.

As you look at these drums, you can see they're nice flat tops, they're not blown,

so there's no suggestion this honey has fermented en route.

If this honey had fermented, Simon would hear the gas,

just like opening a bottle of fizzy pop.

It would also smell awful.

It smells like honey, just as you would expect, so that's fine.

Simon takes a routine sample for his lab to check for any bugs or bacteria.

But this is just a formality.

# Ah, honey, honey... #

There is no suspicion of anything wrong with this consignment.

This will be released as soon as I go back to the office.

Before heading back to his desk,

Simon can enjoy one last perk of the job.

-That's very good.

-Excellent.

# Ah, honey, honey... #

This Down Under honey really is the bees knees

and can continue with its onward journey.

It is reassuring to know that our ports and docks are buzzing with food fighters,

determined to protect our pallets from any foreign food nasties.

Finally today we finish up at Caribbean carnival.

It's a high-risk party with outdoor cooking and raw meat,

so there's plenty to keep our food fighting duo on their toes.

In Preston, the party's showing no signs of slowing.

With the festival food flying out of the vans,

Environmental Health inspector Gillian Hall

must keep her eyes peeled.

People can cut corners if they're very busy.

They can be not washing their hands properly, not checking temperatures.

We're making sure that the normal things

you would expect in a food business are being put into practise.

From goat curry to spicy chicken,

the food fighters need to check it all.

This stall is serving up Jamaican patties,

a pastry containing spicy fillings, but could there be a problem?

-Lamb, vegetable and chicken.

-Swordfish, lamb, chicken.

Has it even got swordfish in them?

-Yes.

-These are a pre-purchased product.

-Are they frozen when you get them?

-Yes.

So how are you defrosting those?

Well...

these, it's not the right temperature, so...

-You're cooking them from frozen in here?

-No. What I usually do...

I was going to say. So when are they defrosted?

You don't defrost them. You just put them in.

This is a big issue.

The meat pies have been defrosting on the heat shelf for over an hour.

If they're not above 63 degrees

then bacteria could have started to take hold.

-If you just see the temperature there, we're at 49.

-Yeah.

OK, so that's well and truly within the danger zone

which is when bacteria multiply most

and cause the most amount of food poisoning.

-But it's still cooking them.

-It is, but it is very, very slowly.

The whole idea of having something reheated

is it's reheated quickly.

It is not a long, slow process.

But if you leave them long enough, they'll cook.

If you have one bacteria, within four hours that's a million,

and a million's enough to cause food poisoning.

Right, I've got it, yeah.

I haven't met a food trader that's wanted to poison anybody.

-No!

-Definitely not.

This business, they all come from Birmingham

so I'll be contacting Birmingham City Council next week

and explaining to them about the situation I have found here

with reheating of the patties which can be dangerous.

But there's a simple solution which will allow the stall to serve.

What you should do is either microwave these now to make sure

you've got up to that temperature

or you can't really leave them here.

It's mid-afternoon and although the festival is certainly Caribbean...

..unfortunately the weather is very British.

And it's causing quite a few problems.

This stall's wind break has blown away.

The staff are relying on candles to keep their food hot

and now they're blowing out.

They're struggling a little bit. It's got quite got up to 63 degrees.

Once again, if the heat's not on, the bacteria has no fear.

Just struggling to get up to 63 degrees.

Yes, it is because of candles. The wind.

Where the wind's coming from, so it is blowing out everything.

So we have to keep on...

-Just have to keep lighting them again.

-Yeah.

The staff are going to have to work hard to keep the candles lit.

But that's not the only problem here.

While the cooked food is too cool, it seems the leaves are too warm.

The salad chopped up and ready prepared.

It is a high-risk food item so it should really be kept refrigerated.

Cooking alfresco is causing a few problems here.

There's no electricity to keep the food warm or cold

and there's another headache, too.

OK, can I just wash my hands, then?

-OK.

-So you haven't got any hot water then at the moment?

-Not at the moment.

-Right.

We are boiling it on the stove there.

You're boiling it on the stove.

-Do you normally have an urn that with hot water in?

-Usually.

-Why have you not got the urn today?

-I forgot it. I'm sorry.

-It's really important that you've got hot water, isn't it?

-I know, yeah.

-That's why we're boiling it in the pots.

-Boiling it, OK.

Water needs to be piping hot to banish the bacteria so this is a big concern.

But Gillian's job is not to pour cold water on the party

and she's happy to compromise.

What they're actually doing is boiling water in a pan on the stove.

My main issue is that they're doing it safely,

that they're not going to burn them themselves.

It's not ideal, but it's all they've got at the moment.

Gillian's glad she dropped by.

All right, enjoy the rest of your day.

And feels her tips have been taken on board.

That means the revellers continue to dance and eat well into the night.

You can tell by looking at it, it is good-quality stuff

and these people right here are from Birmingham

and I know Birmingham people cook sweet food.

And our dynamic duo can go back to base.

They've spread the food fighting word

and helped keep this festival food safe.

It's been a very busy day.

All the food traders are operating at full speed.

We've had a few issues with a few of the stalls,

but they've addressed them straightaway.

They've not argued.

They've got on board with the real meaning of food safety.

They're enjoying themselves, having a nice festival

and hopefully there'll be a lot of safe food out there.

That's what it's all about, yo, have it!

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