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Food safety - risk assessment

What is a risk assessment? .
What is Safer Food, Better Business? .
How can I get  copy of the Safer Food, Better Business Pack? .

What is a risk assessment?

Risk assessments are a legal requirement for all food businesses. 

Food business operators should identify steps in their activities that are critical to ensure food safety. Safe procedures can be identified, maintained and reviewed on the basis of the following principles, used to develop the system of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points).

• Analyse the potential food hazards in your business operation;
• identify the points in those operations where those food hazards may occur;
• decide which of those points identified are critical to food safety - the "critical points";
• identify and implement effective control and monitoring procedures at those critical points; and
• review the analysis of food hazards, the critical control points and the control and monitoring procedures periodically and whenever the food business operations change.

We require a risk assessment to be carried out prior to registration of a food business.

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What is Safer Food Better Business?

The Safer Food, Better Business pack is a system that helps you manage the major potential food hazards in your catering business as identified above. These include the 4 C's:

• cross contamination;
• cleaning;
• chilling; and
• cooking.

Every food business by law, must have a food safety management system in place and the pack provides help and advice for your business.

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How can I get a copy of the Safer Food, Better Business pack?

You can obtain a free Safer Food, Better Business pack directly from the publishers.

• Telephone:  0845 606 0667
• email: foodstandards@ecgroup.uk.com.

There are a number of different packs available:

• catering;
• retailers;
• childminders;
• a supplement for residential care homes (to be used with the Catering Pack);
• Chinese cuisine;
• Cantonese cuisine;
• Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan Cuisine.

You can also order diary refills (free of charge) and a DVD to explain and guide you and your staff through the Safer Food, Better Business Pack. The DVD is available in 16 different languages.

For further information please contact Health and Environment on ext. 249, 254 or 359.