Set up a HACCP-based food safety system

If you run a food business, you need a food safety management system: a written set of processes, checks, rules and records that keeps your food safe. It must be based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. Your local authority food safety team checks it, and your records are your evidence if there is a food safety incident.

What the law requires

The duty covers every stage of production, processing and distribution after primary production, so a farm or grower selling what it harvests is outside it but a business that prepares, packs, stores, sells or serves food is inside it. Approved meat plants follow separate HACCP rules.

The system is proportionate. A café that makes sandwiches and hot drinks needs to identify its key risks, keep chilled food cold and give allergen information. A factory making chilled ready meals for national distribution needs a fully documented system with supplier assurance, environmental monitoring, product testing and traceability controls. Examples of critical limits are a core cooking temperature of 70°C for 2 minutes, or hot food held at or above 63°C.

The FSA also publishes document templates for cleaning, maintenance, pest control, chemical records, staff training, staff hygiene and staff sickness.

If an officer finds a problem

An authorised officer who has reasonable grounds to believe you are failing to comply can serve a hygiene improvement notice. It gives at least 14 days to take the measures it sets out. Failing to comply with the notice is an offence, and a director, manager or similar officer can be convicted as well as the company if the offence was due to their consent, connivance or neglect. Poor compliance also affects your food hygiene rating, which customers can see.