Food safety system

All food business must have a food safety system and keep documents for their food operations:

Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP)

1. Food business operators shall put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles.

2. The HACCP principles consist of the following:

• Identifying any hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels.
• Identifying the critical control points at the step or steps at which control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard or to reduce it to acceptable levels.
• Establishing critical limits at critical control points which separate acceptability from unacceptability for the prevention, elimination or reduction of identified hazards.
• Establishing and implementing effective monitoring procedures at critical control points.
• Establishing corrective actions when monitoring indicates that a critical control point is not under control.
• Establishing procedures, which shall be carried out regularly, to verify the measures are working effectively.
• Establishing documents and records commensurate with the nature and size of the food business to demonstrate the effective application of the measures outlined above.

When any modification is made in the product, process, or any step, food business operators shall review the procedure and make the necessary changes to it. The following options are available to enable small food business operators to comply with this:

Catering

• Safer Food Better Business (Catering version) (SFBB)
• CookSafe (down-loadable system developed by Scottish Food Standards Agency based on traditional HACCP systems)
• Use template HACCP forms which we can supply upon request to food businesses based in our area.

Retail

• Safer Food Better Business for Retailers (SFBB)
• CookSafe Retail Guide (down-loadable system developed by the Scottish Food Standards Agency based on traditional HACCP systems)
• Use template HACCP forms which we can supply upon request to food businesses based in our area.

This does not mean you cannot use your own food safety system as long as it complies with the above HACCP principles.

If you already have a written food safety system and keep appropriate records you need do nothing until we next inspect. If you are unsure whether you comply please contact us for advice.

Information regarding the Safer Food Better Business schemes can be downloaded from: www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/hygiene/sfbb

If you would like a free copy of either of the Safer Food Better Business packs to complete you can order this by calling 0845 606 0667 or email Safer Food Better Business Order. Diary refills can also be ordered on the above telephone number.

To accompany the SFBB packs a DVD guide, available in 16 different languages, has been produced to help food businesses implement SFBB and train staff on SFBB. An online version of the DVD is currently being developed and will be available soon.

If you would like to order an SFBB pack or the DVD guide call Food Standards Agency Publications on 0845 606 0667 or email Safer Food Better Business Order

Sector specific Safer Food Better Business packs

In addition to the generic Safer Food Better Business for caterers and retailers, sector specific versions have been developed for:

• Chinese Cuisine
• Indian, Pakistani, Bangladesh and Sri Lankan Cuisine

If you would like a free copy of the sector specific Safer Food Better Business packs to complete you can order this by calling 0845 606 0667 or e-mail Safer Food Better Business Order

New sector specific Safer Food Better Business Packs are being prepared for catering for vulnerable groups, care homes, and child minders and nurseries.

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