LETTERs

A great deal from Energywatch

Something truly wonderful and amazing has happened that I'd like to share with the MA and its readers.

Having obtained the number of Energywatch from the BII, I decided to ring the company so that I could compare a range of gas prices charged by different providers.

Kim took my details and rang back one hour later to offer me gas priced at 2 pence per kilowatt compared with the 3.4 pence I have to cough up at the moment.

That's a 42% saving, plus a £100 golden "hello".

I gave Kim my bank details on the spot and merely await written confirmation.

My savings this winter will amount to at least several

hundred pounds.

A big thank you to BII, Energywatch and Kim.

For the benefit of any other readers who wish to contact Energywatch, its number is 0800 970 2535 - or you can speak to Kim on 0207 260 2809.

I expect the same great service is available for electricity as well.

N Jones

Licensee, Bear Inn

Swadlincote, Derbyshire

Where does your beef come from?

Customers increasingly demand - and deserve - better information on the origin of food served in restaurants.

When recent media exposure showed that meat served in two pub-restaurant chains and described on the menu as British contained Zebu meat from South America, the outcry was predictable.

The Meat & Livestock Commission (MLC) has campaigned for voluntary commitment to menu transparency. Its research over the past 16 quarters shows that more than 60% of consumers want to know the origin of meat they eat when dining out of home.

While more progressive businesses agree with informing customers, the industry as a whole has failed to respond.

Examples of how menu transparency can be delivered simply and effectively do exist, and coverage of the Zebu-meat issue and the ensuing furore shows that consumers care.

The Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (Lacors), which advises trading standards officers, has called for a more honest approach to origin-labelling on menus.

The MLC favours a voluntary code of best practice. But if the industry can't put its house in order, regulation may be forced upon it. October is a traditional month for seasonal menu change, and the climate is ideal for branded-chain operators to give clear country-of-origin details on menus for meat.

Beef-labelling regulations require that beef origin is clearly shown on packing delivered to catering outlets - so the origin is known. The trade should be able to relay this to customers.

I extend an open invitation to caterers to contact the MLC for advice on implementing an effective menu transparency policy in every establishment.

Tony Goodger

Foodservice trade manager

Meat & Livestock Commission

No sign of understanding

We have just received a visit from the SS (smoking signs squad) of Berwick Borough Council.

I strongly object to our overpriced council tax being used for this purpose.

This person walked into the pub while I was on the telephone placing my brewery order. She didn't wait - just went off on a tour of the pub. She told me that I should display no-smoking signs in the toilets and on the garden door.

Having read that signs should be placed at the entrance to the pub, that is the only point at which I display a sign. My garden is enclosed by a seven-foot wall, with a 20 to 30-foot drop on the other side. As we have no rear access, the only entry to this pub is via the front door.

I don't see why I should put up more signs all over the place - they look so ugly and insult the intelligence of our customers, who are well aware of the law and don't need signs to remind them.

Why does the Government think we need this reminder pushed down our throats?

Marilyn Aspin

Sent via email from marilynattheangel@fsmail.net