SFBB, CookSafe, Safe Catering and MyHACCP

Most small businesses do not build a HACCP plan from a blank page. They use a pack or a tool. Each one puts the HACCP principles into a form that suits a certain type of business. Codex supports this approach. It says small businesses can use expert guidance, as long as it fits their own food and processes.

Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) is the FSA's pack for small businesses in England and Wales. There are versions for caterers, retailers, Indian and Chinese cuisine, childminders and residential care homes. It is written as safe methods, under headings such as cross-contamination, cleaning, chilling and cooking, plus a management section and a diary. A Welsh version is available. The pack describes itself as a food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP, but it leaves out words such as 'HACCP' and 'hazard' to avoid jargon. So you may be using HACCP every day without seeing the word.

Safe Catering is the FSA's guide for Northern Ireland. It helps caterers, and retailers with a catering function, to produce a food safety management plan based on HACCP principles and keep records.

In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland publishes CookSafe for catering businesses. It has sections on HACCP terms, flow diagrams, HACCP charts, house rules and records. RetailSafe is for retailers handling unwrapped high-risk foods, and ButcherSafe is for butchers.

MyHACCP is a free online tool from the FSA. It leads you through the HACCP process step by step and produces a documented system. It is aimed mainly at small food manufacturers and suits more complex businesses. The FSA says that if your processes are simple, SFBB or Safe Catering may suit you better. It does not replace HACCP expertise.

You can see the seven principles inside these packs. In SFBB, the safe methods cover hazards, controls and limits. The opening and closing checks and the daily diary are forms of monitoring and record keeping. The 'what to do if things go wrong' sections are corrective action. The four-weekly review is a form of verification. The 'Prove It' section helps you check that your methods work.

A pack only works if it is used properly. It is not a certificate of safety, and buying one does not make a business compliant. It must be tailored to what the business really does. It must be updated when the menu, suppliers, equipment or staff change. The diary must be filled in honestly, not in advance and not at the end of the week.

Common faults are a pack that sits on a shelf, sections left blank, safe methods that do not match what the kitchen does, and a pack that was never updated after the menu changed. If your business has processes the pack does not cover, you will need more help. Examples are vacuum packing, curing and sous vide cooking. Ask your local authority or a HACCP adviser.