All catering and retail food businesses must put in place written food safety management procedures based on the principles of HACCP (hazard analysis critical control points).
Go to Related Pages for free Safer Food, Better Business Packs to help small businesses meet this requirement.
What is a Hazard?
Food safety management procedures should be put in place to control hazards in your business.
A hazard is something that could be dangerous. And there are lots of different hazards. When we are talking about hazards in relation to food, a hazard is something that could mean that food will not be safe to eat.
Food safety hazards can be:
microbiological - involving harmful bacteria, for example when certain foods are kept out of the fridge for too long and bacteria grow in them
chemical - involving chemicals getting into food, for example cleaning products or pest control chemicals
physical - involving objects getting into food, for example broken glass or pieces of packaging
Hazards can happen at any stage in your business, from taking deliveries to serving customers.
What are the 4 Cs?
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 can be safely controlled. These are the '4 Cs' - cleaning, cooking, chilling and avoiding cross-contamination.
