What is Safer Food, Better Business?
Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) is a simple fact sheet based system. It helps you ensure that major potential hazards in your catering business, namely those to do with cross contamination, cleaning, chilling and cooking, are controlled.
It is designed to be simple and can be easily made to fit your catering business.
What’s in it for me?
SFBB provides you with a written food safety management system. It will ensure you comply with the requirements of the new law as long as you follow it. It is designed to cut out the jargon and can be easily tailored to suit your business. SFBB will be widely recognised and used by businesses all over England. You will be able to show that the food you produce is safe. And if you follow the system, you may also get fewer visits from the council's food and safety team.
How do I get a SFBB pack?
You can get a pack from the Food Safety Team or you can obtain one from the Food Standards Agency:
Telephone: 0845 606 0667
email: foodstandards@ecgroup.uk.com.
Or you can visit the Food Standards Agency website.
How much will it cost?
The packs are free, although the actions will take time to complete.
Will this take up lots of time, and what happens once I have put the system in place?
You should be able to complete each section in about an hour, a total of about five hours. We suggest that you complete one section at a time, and take a week to implement the identified controls before moving on to the next section.
Once you have put the system in place, you need to ensure that you and your staff follow it. You should fill in the “four weekly review” section in the diary every four weeks.
The whole SFBB system should be reviewed and amended if you change the way you operate, for example, if you alter your menu or buy new equipment.
You will only need to fill in the diary that comes with the SFBB pack daily.
Where can I get help?
North Lindsey College will be running training courses. We can provide you with course dates. We will also continue to give advice and guidance on the pack and all other aspects of food safety.
I already have a system in place - do I have to change to SFBB ?
No. You may already have a documented food safety management system. This may have been provided by your parent company. Or you may have developed one yourself. You may already comply with the requirements if you already have one of these systems in place. You are, however, advised to speak to your company or contact us for further advice.
I write down my fridge temperatures daily, do I need to keep doing this?
It is generally accepted to be good practice to keep records. Particularly those of delivery temperatures of high-risk foods, fridge and freezer operating temperatures and the centre temperature of high-risk foods that you cook, so that you can show you are doing things correctly. This could help you with a ‘due diligence’ defence if you are charged with any food offence.
SFBB does require some record keeping, but mainly only when problems have arisen during the day.
Will there be packs available in other languages?
The Food Standards Agency has adapted the SFBB pack for the Chinese cuisine and the Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan cuisines.
The Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan pack is in English.
There are two Chinese packs - one pack is mainly in English, the other pack is mainly in Chinese.
You can get packs from the Food and Safety Team or from the Food Standards Agency, telephone 0845 606 0667 or e-mail foodstandards@ecgroup.uk.com.
I am not a caterer- will there be packs for other small businesses like me?
Yes, there is a SFBB pack for retailers and a supplement for care homes. Different versions are continually being developed.
Is there a deadline for me to set up SFBB ?
Although the new regulations came into force on the 1 January 2006, you will be given enough time to allow you to work through the pack and set up SFBB , or your own documented food safety management system.
What happens if I don’t use SFBB ?
You are legally required to set up and use a documented food safety management system. SFBB has been developed to help you comply with this new requirement.
If you choose not to use SFBB and you do not set up and use another suitable system, the council may take legal action in line with its enforcement policy. However, as a free SFBB pack is being offered, and training courses are available we hope that such legal action will not be necessary.
Need to talk to someone?
If you have any further questions on the new food hygiene legislation please contact a member of our Food and Safety Team or email us at food.safety@northlincs.gov.uk.