Find out what you need to do and what records you must keep to make sure your food is safe to eat.
Food law means you must write down how you do things and keep records to make sure that your food is safe to eat.
If you do not do this, under the Food Hygiene Rating System (FHRS), you will not score any higher than a rating of 1. This means that major improvement is necessary. It will be shown on the public FHRS website.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has developed a free pack called Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB). This is to help small food businesses set up a documented food safety management system. It contains safe method sheets and a diary.
The safe method sheets highlight things that are important. They make sure you keep a record of how you prepare and cook your food in a safe way. They also provide advice on what to do when things go wrong.
You have to sign the diary every day to say that you have followed the safe methods. There is space to note anything different that happens or goes wrong.
You can print out the new version of the diary refill if you only need that part of the pack.
You can also buy a Safer Food Better Business pack or a year’s diary refill. These prices include postage and packing.
There are different SFBB packs available. They aim to meet the needs of specific food businesses such as:
These are available in other languages.
We have also produced a simplified SFBB pack. This is for:
Small scale means:
If you are already using SFBB for caterers you can continue to do so. You may want to use the new style diary sheets from this pack.
For some larger businesses, your food safety management system may need more detail. The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system may be more suitable. It helps food business operators look at how they handle food. It provides procedures to make sure the food produced is safe to eat.