INSTRUCTIONS FOR MILK & CREAM RECEIVING CUSTOMERS

Dear Friends, I'm sending these instructions to all organisations that receive weekly issues of milk from DCFA. Do please read this email carefully as you need to take some action!

DELIVERY TIMES Robert Wiseman's Dairies at Pensilva in Cornwall deliver milk to DCFA at Congress Hall in Armada Way at 9.15 a.m. every Thursday. Of course, they'll sometimes be late and sometimes early. DCFA has absolutely no redress on this and has to take delivery at whatever time it turns up!

SORTING Our terrific team of volunteers, ably led by Karen BOWLER, then needs 30 minutes or so to sort the produce into types and sizes, and then to allocate the produce into batches for each receiving organisation. Each package of produce must be checked to ensure that it has not passed its Use-by Date. Such items must be disposed of and never issued to our customers. Please bear with us whilst the Team does this! It doesn't take long to do but it’s better done without interruption. So if your milk issue isn't quite ready do please be patient!

COLLECTION All being well, DCFA would hope to have the produce sorted ready for collection by 10 a.m. I would therefore ask you all to collect your product issues between 10 and 10.30 a.m.

MILK TEMPERATURES Milk is delivered to us in a refrigerated vehicle. We immediately take it inside the building Congress Hall where we try to keep it as cool as we can until you collect it. It's important that you bring Kool Boxes of some description with you when collecting the milk and then place it somewhere cool as soon as you get back to your location. It should be kept to 5⁰C! During the warmer months coming it’s obviously important that you collect your milk issues at the prescribed time so as to help to keep it cool. Please see the attached notice!

QUANTITIES A list is available showing the usual amounts of produce that each organisation has requested. DCFA has absolutely no control on the amount of produce we receive from the dairy and consequently you may not always receive the amounts you ask for. Sometimes DCFA will receive less than the required amount, sometimes more. I would like you all to check the Quantities List and let me know of any amendments required. When we receive extra we can issue extra.

Important: In case DCFA receives more produce than normal, we also need to know the maximum amounts that you could handle without any being wasted. This is produce that would otherwise go to landfill... but DCFA only wants to give it to you if you can use it!

DELIVERIES DCFA will not normally deliver produce to any organisation and there are good reasons for this. DCFA does recognise however, that its customers are in the voluntary sector as are we, and that problems sometimes arise! So if there is the odd occasion when you're unable to collect milk at the stipulated time then do please let one of Milk Team Volunteers know and they'll try to assist. However, it must be emphasised that this must be the exception rather than the rule.

CONTACT DETAILS I'm attaching a second list that gives everyone's contact details. If there are any amendments required then do please let me know. You'll note that this list includes the details of the Milk Team Volunteers if you need to contact them for any reason.

DCFA INFORMATION The quantities of produce issued so far are displayed on our website. Do please do take a look!

Are you all receiving copies of our DCFA Newsletter each month? Do feel free to forward an article to me for inclusion in any issue... and photographs too!

THE WAY AHEAD There's so much potential for DCFA! DCFA could do so much more. DCFA has been promised fresh and ambient food from local producers but of course we'll need our own premises before we can head off in that direction. It is hoped that we will soon be able to announce some good news regarding this!

WHO ELSE CAN WE HELP? Do you know of other organisations that may benefit from receiving milk but haven't yet heard of us? Do get them to contact us!

COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS If you have any cause for complaint or indeed, if you have any suggestions to make for the good and benefit of us all, then please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. DCFA will endeavour to do the best with it has!

Yours sincerely,

Geoffrey N. Read Geoffrey N. Read, MCIM Company Secretary The Devon & Cornwall Food Association Ltd. A Private Company Limited by Guarantee Register Company No. 7419679 Registered Charity No. DCFA is recognised by HMRC as a Charity for tax purposes under Reference XT27083.

The Devon & Cornwall Food Association (DCFA) Spare food is share food!

7, Whimple Street, Plymouth, Devon PL1 2DH

Mobile: 07745819828 (text only) Email: saudigeoff@yahoo.co.uk

Website: http://dcfa.webs.com Patron: Ms. Judi Spiers BBC Radio Devon

Our Funder:

… And Voluntary Donations.

HEALTH & SAFETY NOTICE

CONCERNING

FOOD SAFETY

In terms of Food Safety we should check the temperature

when milk arrives at Congress Hall and it should be

five degrees or below.

This is good practice!

The actual legal limit is eight degrees.

However, ensuring food is kept below five degrees

gives us a margin of safety.