Food safety and hygiene
If you have a food business you must have procedures in place to manage food safely and have certain facilities on your site.
We can give you advice on any food safety issue. We can also visit you if you are thinking of starting a food business to give you guidance about safe food hygiene practices and structural requirements for your premises.
Food safety procedures for your business
If you have a food business, you must have procedures to manage food safely and have these procedures written down to comply with food hygiene regulations, in particular with EC Regulation 852/2004.
To help you create your procedures, you can get a free pack called ‘safer food, better business’ from the Food Standards Agency.
Get a ‘safer food, better business’ pack from the Food Standards Agency website (link opens in new window)
You can use the pack to create procedures applicable to the size and type of your business. For example, a large restaurant would need more detailed procedures than a business that prepares a small number of sandwiches.
We can also help you with your procedures. If you would like help with the ‘safer food, better business’ pack, please contact us.
What facilities your food business must have
Your food business must have the following facilities on site -
- at least two hand washbasins - one in a food preparations area and one in a staff toilet area
- adequate workspace
- facilities to clean food equipment and hands (for example, it should have one sink for food wash and one for equipment wash)
- adequate storage space, especially refrigeration. It is a good idea to have separate fridges for raw and ready-to-eat foods
- waste disposal arrangements
- staff facilities
- adequate ventilation - natural and/or mechanical
- drainage facilities
- toilets for the public, where tables and seating are provided
Food safety publications
You can request a range of our free food service advice leaflets online using the form below. The topics include catering at home, allergies, labeling and more.
Food safety for businesses (size: 3.8 Mb) 
