Safer Food Better Business (SFBB)

A pack can be downloaded from the Food Standards Agency website and completed by you.

The packs are free of charge, although the implementation will require your time to complete each section.

What happens once I have implemented the system?

Once you have implemented the system, this is your working document to ensure you are keeping your food safe. You must ensure that it is adhered to by you and your employees. You should also review your diary every 4 weeks and when operations change, such as style of cooking, use of new equipment.

Won't this take up a lot of time and require me to keep lots of records?

With SFBB, filling out the diary is the only daily record you will need to complete. This should only take a couple of minutes each day.

You don't need to keep lots of records. Once you have worked through the safe methods, you will have a record of what your business does to make sure the food is safe to eat. This will only need to be reviewed and amended if you change the way your food business operates.

Currently I write down the temperatures of fridges every day, do I need to keep doing this?

Keeping a written record of fridge temperatures is good practice and helps to highlight when a problem arises. SFBB still requires you to monitor fridge temperatures but you would only need to record problems that have arisen and what you have done to correct them.

If you want to continue writing down the fridge temperatures and cooking temperatures daily then you can.

I already have a system in place, do I have to change to SFBB?

No. We are aware that some premises may already have a documented food safety management system in place which has either been provided by their parent company, or has been developed in-house. If you already have one of these systems then it may mean that you already comply with the requirements. You are however advised to speak to your company or contact us for further advice.

Is the pack available in other languages?

There are a number of SFBB packs available that are designed to meet the specific needs of different food businesses. There are packs for small catering businesses, small retail businesses and restaurants and takeaways that serve different cuisine such as Chinese cuisine or Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan cuisines. There is also a pack for childminders and a supplement for care homes that is designed to be used with the pack for caterers.

To accompany the packs an introduction to food hygiene "Working with food? What you need to know before you start" and a DVD guide available in 16 different languages, have been produced to help food businesses implement SFBB and train staff on SFBB. The guide can be viewed online at SFBB Training or downloaded.

What happens if I don't implement SFBB?

Food Hygiene Legislation requires you to implement a documented food safety management system. SFBB has been developed to assist food businesses in complying with this requirement.

Ultimately if you choose not to use SFBB and do not implement and maintain any other suitable system, Doncaster Council may take legal action in line with its enforcement policy. In view of the extensive training and support that is being offered, we hope that such legal action will not be necessary.