Food safety - your responsibilities
Food hygiene
Part of complying with food safety is managing food hygiene.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan
You usually have to write a plan based on the HACCP principles if you run a food business. This keeps your food safe from biological, chemical and physical safety hazards.
Food contact materials
Materials and packaging that can be reasonably expected to come into contact with food are called ‘food contact materials’. These can include:
- packaging
- food processing equipment
- cookware
- work surfaces
To keep food safe for consumption:
- make sure food contact materials don’t transfer anything to food they touch
- make sure food contact materials don’t change the food they touch
- when inspected, be able to show where the food contact materials came from
Bacteria and food poisoning
To keep food safe from bacteria, you should follow HACCP. Bacteria that cause serious health problems are:
- E.coli O157 and campylobacter
- salmonella, especially with the storage and handling of eggs
Food hygiene training
Employers are responsible for staff hygiene training. It can be either a formal programme or informal training, such as on the job training or self study.
Food allergies
If you are a food retailer or caterer you need to manage food allergies when preparing and selling food.