Food safety and hygiene

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)

If you provide food or drink to the public to consume, you are legally required to identify and document the hazards and the control measures you will implement, to ensure what you provide is safe.

The documentation you are expected to have, will depend on the size and complexity of your food or drink offering. This may require you to have either a bespoke or generic food safety management system or some basic food safety and hygiene procedures. Your food safety officer will provide you with advice and guidance in relation to this.

Food safety management procedures should be based on HACCP principles:

• looking closely at what you do in your business, what could go wrong and what risks there are to food safety
• identifying any critical control points the areas a business needs to focus on to ensure those risks are removed or reduced to safe levels
• deciding what action you need to take if something goes wrong
• making sure that your procedures are being followed and are working
• keeping records to show your procedures are working

Further HACCP advice and guidance is provided by the Food Standards Agency.

Last updated 11 July 2023