Practical guides, food safety advice, and compliance tips — written for UK food businesses.
Building and running the food safety management system the law expects.
6 articlesSafer Food, Better Business is the FSA's free food safety system for small UK businesses. It's optional, but if you use it, it's your evidence. Here's what SFBB actually is, what an inspector wants from your diary, and why so many paper packs fail.
For UK food businesses, two terms come up again and again: HACCP and SFBB. They both relate to food safety, they both keep your kitchen compliant, and they both
HACCP sounds like a mountain of paperwork. For most small UK kitchens it isn't — you need a system based on HACCP principles, and the FSA already gives you one. Here's what HACCP actually is, and why most small businesses use SFBB instead of building a plan from scratch.
Many food businesses find HACCP plans daunting. It’s easy to get lost in paperwork, complex charts, and endless regulations—but HACCP doesn’t have to be overwhe
A no-nonsense walkthrough of all seven HACCP principles for UK food businesses — with the mistakes most people make and why they make them. Written from real kitchen experience.
Most food businesses think they're on top of food safety. The gaps usually appear when someone stops looking. A practical guide to why HACCP matters — from someone who's been through a BRC audit.HACCP isn’t just a compliance checkbox — it’s the foundation of food safety. Discover why every food business, from cafés to caterers, needs HACCP to protect customers and maintain a five-star hygiene rating.
What inspectors look for, and how your hygiene rating is decided.
6 articlesAn EHO inspection is usually unannounced — so you can't prepare for the date, only the habit. Here's what inspectors actually score, the documentation they'll ask for, and the three gaps that quietly cost marks, from someone who's worked both sides of the clipboard.
Most "common food safety violations" lists read like a textbook. This one doesn't — it's the small discipline gaps that actually get flagged on inspection, from fridge seals to the paperwork that only gets done when you're standing there.
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme scores UK food businesses from 0 to 5 following an EHO inspection. This guide explains how ratings are calculated, what each score means, where they are published, and how to improve a poor result.
A low food hygiene rating can be improved — but it requires addressing the specific findings in your inspection report and demonstrating consistent standards, not just a one-off effort before a re-inspection.
EHO inspection frequency in the UK is determined by a risk assessment, not a fixed schedule. This guide explains how the system works, what affects your inspection interval, and what can trigger an unscheduled visit.
An EHO inspection covers four key areas — food handling, premises cleanliness, food safety management, and structural condition. Here is what inspectors check and how to be ready.
What to write down, how long to keep it, and going digital.
6 articlesRunning food safety across several kitchens isn't a bigger version of the single-site job — it's a different problem, and it's won or lost on visibility. Here's why consistency breaks first, what multi-site compliance actually needs, and what to look for in software when you can't be in every kitchen at once.
There's no single legal number for how long you keep your daily logs — just "an appropriate period." After 20 years of filing paper sheets, here's what that actually means in practice, and where accident records fit in.
If you're asking this question, you're probably not unhappy with paper exactly. You're just wondering whether switching is worth the disruption — or whether pap
What a digital kitchen diary actually is, why most businesses switch after something goes wrong, and what to look for when choosing one for a UK food operation.
What actually happens during a food safety audit — and what separates the businesses that sail through from the ones that don't. From someone who's been on both sides of it.
Worried that going digital with your kitchen records will take weeks of setup? Here's a realistic look at what's actually involved — and how quickly most operators get up and running.
Natasha's Law, the fourteen allergens, and getting labelling right.
2 articlesNatasha's Law has required full allergen labelling on pre-packed for direct sale food since October 2021. This guide explains who is affected, what the label must include, and the most common mistakes to avoid.
UK food law requires businesses to declare 14 specific allergens. This guide covers what each allergen is, where it commonly appears, and what your labelling and declaration obligations are.
Chilling, hot holding, and keeping food out of the danger zone.
2 articlesOne of our freezers gave up this week. In a 40-degree production kitchen during the hottest June on record, that moves fast. Here is what to do — and what to have in place before it happens to you.
UK food hygiene regulations set clear temperature requirements for cold holding, hot holding, cooking, and cooling. This guide covers the legal thresholds, the two-hour rule, probe thermometer use, and what records to keep.
Opening a food business, registering it, and the certificates you need.
2 articlesUK food law does not mandate a specific certificate, but requires staff to be trained appropriately. This guide explains the three qualification levels, who needs what, and what EHOs expect to see.
Every UK food business must meet a set of legal requirements before trading. This checklist covers registration, HACCP, allergens, temperature control, staff training, and inspection readiness.
Comparing the tools, and what to look for before you commit.
2 articlesSearch "FSA-aligned compliance app" and you're asking a fair question with the wrong shape. The FSA doesn't approve apps — so here's what alignment actually means, and a checklist to test any tool before you pay for it.
A founder with 20 years in UK food production gives an honest assessment of the best food safety apps available to UK businesses in 2026 — covering Trail, Leafe, Hubl, SFBB+, and Culinary Key.
