Food Safety Management Procedures

Legally it is your duty as an employer to implement ‘food safety management procedures’ based on the principles of HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point). In addition you must:

• Permanently uphold these principles.
• Keep all documents and records relating to your procedures up to date.
• Monitor your procedures if you alter what you produce or how you work.

This means that you must have procedures in place to control food safety ‘hazards’ in your business. Similar to previous legal requirements, however now the law requires you must write these procedures down, update them as needed and keep records that can be checked by your local authority’s environmental health department.

The Regulations are designed to be flexible, meaning that it is acceptable for the procedures to be in proportion to the size of your business and the kind of work that you carry out. For example, small businesses essentially only require very simple procedures and basic records.