Food business - Food Safety - Hazard Analysis

How we provide this service

Food risk assessment in business is supported by Community & Neighbourhood Services, Food Safety & Licensing.

All businesses are required to carry out a "hazard analysis" of their food operations. This will ensure that you implement critical controls and produce safe food.

What to do to get this service

Advice and literature is available from this department to help you produce safe food and comply with the law.

The law requires the proprietor of a food business to identify any step in the activities of the food business which is critical to ensuring food safety and to ensure that adequate safety procedures are identified, implemented, maintained and reviewed on the basis of the following principles:

(a) identify potential food hazards in the food business; (what can go wrong)
(b) identify the points in the food operation where food hazards may occur; (where things can go wrong)
(c) decide which of these points are critical to making sure food is safe;
(d) put in place controls to stop things going wrong at critical points and ensure that these controls are monitored;
(e) state what corrective action will be taken should the critical control points fail;
(f) periodically review this analysis, the points which are critical and the controls and the monitoring procedures in place; (whenever changes are made to your business, e.g. new menus, new equipment etc.).

It is important that you identify the food safety hazards, controls and monitoring at every step of the food's preparation, in a logical sequence, from purchase through to serving. Ensure that controls are implemented and that you/your staff always carry them out.

To meet the above requirements, it is recommended that you document your hazard analysis and record the monitoring carried out because it will:

• be much easier to prove that you have complied with legal requirements;
• help you to defend your business if something goes wrong in the future, e.g. a food complaint or food poisoning;
• assist your "due diligence" defence;
• enable you to teach your staff about the risks and controls you have in place;
• help you to ensure that any staff you employ are abiding by the controls you have in place.

These can be in the form of simple records. At the bottom of the page you will find the 'Daily Food Check list'. The list contains the type of information we expect to see during an inspection and will help you in producing safe food. You may alter the form so that it reflects your business activities.

Links to forms, leaflets and websites providing more information

Daily Food Checks sheet

Safer food, better business

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Contact Details

If you have any queries about the information provided above, or require further information, please contact Customer Services on 01775 761161 or email info@sholland.gov.uk.

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