On 1st January 2006 the food hygiene legislation changed and new requirements came into force that affected food businesses. In particular there was one major new requirement.
 
The new Regulations brought together and extended the requirements of the current UK food hygiene laws and if you run a food business you will need to have a documented food safety management system.
 
In other words, businesses will need to say what they do to make sure that food is safe to eat and have this written down. The amount of documentation needed will be related to the type of food prepared/handled and the risks presented by the business.
 
The actual legal requirement states that businesses have to put into place a procedure based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). A full HACCP system is more suited to food manufacturers and this system doesn’t easily work in a restaurant or pub kitchen. So following extensive consultation with the catering industry the Food Standards Agency has developed “Safer Food Better Business” (SFBB) Catering Pack and the Retail equivalent. 

Safer Food Better Business is a simple fact sheet system that tells you how to ensure that the major potential hazards in your catering business, namely those to do with avoiding cross-contamination, cleaning, chilling and cooking (the “4 Cs”), can be safely controlled. It is designed to be simple, and can easily be made to fit into catering businesses.
 
Each SFBB pack is split into five sections containing a number of fact sheets called ‘Safe Methods’. Typical safe methods would include instructions on “Cooking Food Safely” and “Reheating” for example. The idea is that you look at the pack and decide which safe methods apply to your business, and then follow them.
 
There are about twenty methods in total covering aspects of the “4Cs”, but not all of them will apply to all businesses. A simple diary is also provided for appropriate record keeping. This also includes a four-weekly review to ensure that the document remains up-to-date and to allow common problems to be identified and addressed.

Safer Food Better Business provides you with a documented food safety management system that will ensure compliance with the requirements of the new law, as long as it is followed. It is designed to cut out jargon, and can be easily tailored to your business. It will be widely recognised and will be taken into businesses all over England. It will help ensure that businesses produce safe food, and may result in fewer visits by your Environmental Health Officer. Above all, IT’S FREE!

Recently new Safer Food Better Business Packs have been produced for the Chinese, and Indian, Pakistani, Bangladesh and Sri Lankan community.  The contents relates to their own style of cuisine.  The Chinese pack is also available in a translated version and other languages may follow.  

We are running seminars to help you understand the new requirement of SFBB. Call us for further information on the seminars on 01202 454876.
 
To order a free SFBB pack telephone call 0845 606 0667 or email foodstandards.
 
You can also download a copy of the pack from the Food Standards Agency website.
 
For further advice or information please contact a member of our Food Team on: 01202 454876