Food safety requirements in Scotland

If you run a food business in Scotland, your regulatory framework is different from the rest of the UK. While the core food safety obligations are broadly similar, Scotland has its own regulator, its own food safety management documentation, a different hygiene rating system, and several distinct legal requirements.

Food Standards Scotland: your regulator

Food safety in Scotland is overseen by Food Standards Scotland (FSS) , not the Food Standards Agency (FSA). FSS was established on 1 April 2015 by the Food (Scotland) Act 2015.

If you search for food safety guidance on the FSA website (food.gov.uk), the advice may not apply in Scotland. Always check foodstandards.gov.scot for Scotland-specific guidance.

CookSafe: Scotland's food safety management system

In England and Wales, most small food businesses use Safer Food Better Business (SFBB). In Scotland, the equivalent is CookSafe.

Both systems satisfy the legal requirement to have food safety management procedures based on HACCP principles, but they are structured differently. If you operate in Scotland, you should use CookSafe rather than SFBB, because:

• Environmental health officers in Scotland are trained to inspect against CookSafe
• CookSafe reflects Scottish regulations, including the higher reheating temperature
• FSS provides Scotland-specific support materials for CookSafe users

Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) vs FHRS

The rest of the UK uses the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS), which rates food businesses on a scale of 0 to 5. Scotland operates the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS), which works differently.

Key legislative differences

Reheating temperature

In Scotland, food that is reheated must reach a core temperature of 82 degrees C. In England and Wales, the FSA guidance recommends reheating to 75 degrees C core temperature.

If you operate in Scotland, your CookSafe records and staff training must reflect the 82 degrees C requirement. Using SFBB documentation from England without adjustment could lead to non-compliance.

Food (Scotland) Act 2015

This Act goes beyond the UK-wide Food Safety Act 1990 by:

• Establishing FSS as an independent body
• Giving FSS power to direct local authorities on food safety enforcement
• Creating the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit (SFCIU)
• Transferring feed law enforcement from local authorities to FSS

Enforcement differences

• FSS direction powers: FSS can direct local authorities to take specific enforcement action
• Food crime: The SFCIU investigates food fraud and food crime in Scotland
• Feed law: Since April 2021, FSS enforces animal feed law directly

Operating across the border

If your food business operates in both Scotland and another part of the UK:

• Use CookSafe for Scottish premises and SFBB for English or Welsh premises
• Train staff in Scottish premises to reheat to 82 degrees C
• Your Scottish premises will show FHIS Pass/Improvement Required, while English premises show FHRS 0-5
• Direct queries about Scottish premises to FSS, not the FSA
• Register each premises with the local authority where it is located