If you run a food business you will need to have a documented food safety management system.  In other words, you will need to say what you do to make food that is safe to eat and have this written down.

The amount of documentation you need is related to the type of food you prepare and the risks presented by your business.  A full Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system is more suited to food manufacturers who produce larger amounts of similar foods. 

Smaller food businesses can comply with these requirements without introducing an unnecessary burden.  Following extensive consultation with the catering industry the Food Standards Agency has developed Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB).

Safer food, better business (SFBB) is a simple fact sheet system that shows how to ensure that the major potential hazards in food businesses can be safely controlled, namely those to do with the 4’C’s’:

• Cross-Contamination  
• Cleaning 
• Chilling   
• Cooking

SFBB is designed to be simple, and can easily be made to fit your business. It doesn't have to be SFBB but any alternative may involve a lot of work for you if you do not already have such a system in place.

For more information, and a free SFBB pack

Telephone:  0845 6060667
Fax:   020 88673225
Email: foodstandards@ecgroup.uk.com