Food safety and hygiene requirements

Food safety legal requirements

All food businesses in the UK must comply with food safety and hygiene regulations. This applies whether you run a restaurant, café, pub serving food, hotel with catering facilities, or any business that prepares or serves food to the public.

The key requirements are: registering your food business, implementing a HACCP-based food safety management system, and providing allergen information to customers.

Food Safety Management System (HACCP)

Food businesses must implement a food safety management system based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles. This identifies food safety hazards and controls to prevent contamination.

What is HACCP?

HACCP is a food safety management system that identifies potential hazards and establishes controls at critical points in food preparation. All food businesses must implement HACCP-based procedures.

The 7 HACCP principles

Identify hazards and assess risks
Identify critical control points (CCPs)
Establish critical limits for each CCP
Establish monitoring procedures
Establish corrective actions
Establish verification procedures
Establish documentation and record keeping

Safer Food, Better Business

The Food Standards Agency provides 'Safer Food, Better Business' - a simplified HACCP pack designed for small food businesses. This provides templates for food safety management and is accepted by local authorities.

Key records to maintain

Cooking and reheating temperatures
Fridge and freezer temperature checks
Food delivery checks
Cleaning schedules
Staff training records

Step 1: Download 'Safer Food, Better Business' pack from FSA website (free)
Step 2: Identify food safety hazards in your operations (contamination, cooking, storage)
Step 3: Establish critical control points (e.g. cooking temperatures, cold storage)
Step 4: Document your procedures in a food safety management system
Step 5: Train all food handlers on procedures
Step 6: Maintain daily records (temperature checks, cleaning logs)
Step 7: Review and update your system regularly

Safer Food, Better Business

HACCP documentation for hospitality

Whilst the Food Standards Agency's 'Safer Food, Better Business' pack is suitable for most small food businesses, you must maintain ongoing documentation as evidence of your food safety procedures.

HACCP Documentation

HACCP Documentation - Food safety management

Regulator: Local Authority
Typical fee: None (internal system)
Frequency: ongoing
Legal basis: Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013

Not a licence but a legal requirement. Must have food safety management system based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. Simpler 'Safer Food, Better Business' pack suitable for small caterers. Subject to inspection by environmental health officers. Must maintain records.

Allergen information for customers

You must provide clear allergen information for all food you serve. The way you provide this information depends on whether food is pre-packaged or prepared to order.

Food Information Regulations (Allergen Labelling)

Food businesses must provide allergen information for non-prepacked food (made on premises and sold directly to consumers). The 14 major allergens must be clearly indicated on menus, labels or verbally.

The 14 major allergens

You must provide information on foods containing:

Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats)
Crustaceans (prawns, crab, lobster)
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Soybeans
Milk
Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, brazils, pistachios, macadamias)
Celery
Mustard
Sesame
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (at concentrations above 10mg/kg or 10mg/litre)
Lupin
Molluscs (mussels, oysters, squid, snails)

How to provide allergen information

For non-prepacked food, you can provide allergen information:

In writing on menus, chalkboards or labels
Verbally by trained staff (with written notice directing to staff for information)

Allergens must be emphasised (bold, italics, colour, underline) to make them stand out from other text.

Prepacked for direct sale (Natasha's Law)

From October 2021, food prepacked on the premises must have a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised. This includes sandwiches made in-store, pre-wrapped cakes, and similar items.

Step 1: Identify all 14 allergens in every dish and ingredient
Step 2: Create an allergen matrix showing which dishes contain which allergens
Step 3: Indicate allergens on menus (highlighted in bold or with symbols)
Step 4: If providing verbal information, display clear signage directing customers to staff
Step 5: Train all staff on allergen procedures and cross-contamination risks
Step 6: For prepacked for direct sale items, add full ingredient labels with allergen emphasis
Step 7: Keep supplier documentation showing allergen content of ingredients
Step 8: Review allergen information when changing suppliers or recipes

Food allergen labelling guidance

Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) labelling

Since October 2021, stricter labelling rules apply to food that is packaged on your premises before customers select it.

Natasha's Law (Prepacked for Direct Sale Labelling)

Food prepacked on the same premises where it is sold must have a full ingredients list with allergenic ingredients emphasised. This law was introduced following the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse from anaphylaxis in 2016.

What is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS)?

PPDS food is food that is:

Packaged at the same place it is offered or sold to consumers
Packaged before the consumer selects or orders it
In packaging that cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging

Examples of PPDS

Sandwiches and salads pre-packed on site for sale in the same shop
Pre-wrapped cakes and pastries in a bakery
Fast food meals packaged before customer orders
Burgers and hot dogs packaged before sale at sports venues

Labelling requirements

PPDS food must have a label showing:

Name of the food
Full ingredients list in descending order of weight
Allergenic ingredients emphasised (bold, italics, colour, underline)

What is not PPDS

Food packed after the customer orders it (e.g. bakery items selected and bagged at the counter) is not PPDS and does not require ingredient labels.

Step 1: Identify all PPDS items sold in your business
Step 2: Create ingredient lists for each PPDS product
Step 3: Design labels showing name, ingredients and emphasised allergens
Step 4: Print and apply labels to all PPDS packaging
Step 5: Ensure labels are legible and clearly visible to customers before purchase
Step 6: Train staff on PPDS requirements and when labels are needed
Step 7: Keep records of recipes and supplier ingredient information
Step 8: Review and update labels when ingredients or suppliers change

Prepacked for direct sale food labelling

Staff training and food hygiene

Whilst food hygiene training is not legally required in England (except Scotland where Level 2 Food Hygiene is mandatory for food handlers), it is strongly recommended and demonstrates due diligence.

Training should cover:

Personal hygiene and handwashing
Safe food storage and temperature control
Preventing cross-contamination
Cleaning and sanitisation
Allergen awareness and communication

Food hygiene ratings

Your local authority will inspect your premises and award a Food Hygiene Rating from 0 (urgent improvement needed) to 5 (very good):

Poor ratings can significantly damage your business reputation. If you receive a low rating, you can request a re-inspection once you have made improvements.

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Food safety and hygiene requirements

Food safety legal requirements

HACCP documentation for hospitality

Allergen information for customers

Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) labelling

Staff training and food hygiene

Food hygiene ratings

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Food safety legal requirements

HACCP documentation for hospitality

Allergen information for customers

Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) labelling

Staff training and food hygiene

Food hygiene ratings

Related guides in Food Labelling

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