Food safety and hygiene

It is a legal requirement to have a fully documented Food Safety Management System (FSMS) based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles.

You may wish to use the Food Standards Agency's Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) pack to aid you in complying with this requirement. You may use these packs, providing that they are suitable for and appropriately cover all the procedures within your business.

You can email admin.eh@birmingham.gov.uk to order your free SFBB pack.

If the SFBB is not suitable for your business, you can use the MyHACCP tool to generate your own HACCP.

You can read further information on managing your business's food hygiene and safety procedures.

Temperature control of food

You should carry out regular checks at different stages of storage and cooking using a suitably calibrated probe capable of checking internal temperatures.

You should check temperatures during the stages of chilling, freezing, defrosting, cooking, cooling, hot-holding and reheating.

It is recommended that you record temperatures that are checked, which you can do using a template for record sheets.

Detailed information is available on how to chill food and cook food safely.

Control of cross-contamination

If you handle raw meat, ready-to-eat foods, or any high-risk foods, you must also control E.Coli 0157 and other cross-contamination.

You can read detailed and specific guidance on E.Coli cross-contamination and general advice on preventing cross-contamination.

Page last updated: 8 February 2024