Food regulations mean that all food businesses must implement food safety management procedures based upon the hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) principles.
The principles of HACCP are that you:
- identify hazards (anything that can cause harm to the consumer)
- identify control measures to prevent the hazards
- check that the control measures are effective
- take action when things go wrong
These food safety management systems must be documented. The traditional HACCP based system is more suited to processors so the Food Standards Agency have put together a pack which can be used by caterers and retailers in order to comply with the requirement for a documented system.
There are various versions of the pack including the catering pack, retailers pack, Indian and Chinese pack, and child minders pack. Completing and using the appropriate pack will help food businesses to comply with the requirements, show what they do to make food safely, train staff, protect their business's reputation and improve efficiency for example by wasting less food.
Mobile traders pack
Mobile food vendors trading in Dorset have had a helping hand with a new guidance. Hygiene inspectors across Dorset are keen to ensure food businesses are dealt with in a fair and clear manner.