HACCP-based systems in practice

You do not have to write a HACCP plan from nothing. Free tools based on HACCP principles are available in each nation. The right one depends on where you are and what you do. Your local food safety team can advise. No particular pack is required by law. You may use any system that meets the law.

In England and Wales, small caterers and retailers often use Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB). There are versions for caterers, retailers, Indian and Chinese cuisine and childminders, and a supplement for small residential care homes. A Welsh version is available. The pack covers cross-contamination, cleaning, chilling and cooking, with a management section and a diary.

In Northern Ireland, small caterers normally use Safe Catering instead of SFBB.

In Scotland, FSS publishes CookSafe for caterers and RetailSafe for retailers. ButcherSafe is a further FSS guide for butchers who handle both raw and ready-to-eat food. These systems use written House Rules and a HACCP section that the business completes for its own menu, with records such as a Weekly Record.

MyHACCP is the FSA's free online tool. It guides a business through identifying hazards and controls and producing a HACCP plan. It is aimed at small food manufacturers and suits more complex processes. If your processes are simple, as in most cafés and sandwich bars, a pack such as SFBB, Safe Catering or CookSafe may suit you better. Large or complex businesses may need a full HACCP plan, sometimes with expert help.

A pack only works if you use it. Read each section and adapt it to your business. Cross out what does not apply, and add what is missing. If you make something the pack does not cover, such as vacuum-packed dishes, you need extra procedures.

In SFBB, the diary is completed every day, with opening and closing checks. Every 4 weeks, you look back over the diary. If there was a serious problem, or the same thing went wrong three times or more, make a note, find out why and do something about it. Keep completed diary pages until the next visit from a food safety officer.

The supervisor keeps the system alive. Update it whenever the menu, suppliers, equipment, staff roles or processes change, and after any incident that shows a gap. Suppose a pub adds a Thai curry with a peanut sauce from a new supplier. That changes the allergen information, the supplier records and perhaps the cooling and reheating steps.

Watch for common failures. The pack sits unread in the office. Someone has copied another site's paperwork. The diary is signed but the checks were not done. Staff cannot explain the method they are meant to follow. The system still describes last year's menu. These failures show that management is not really in control, and officers look for them.