What Is Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB)? How to Use the Pack

On this page

1. 1What is Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB)?
2. 2Do you have to use Safer Food, Better Business?
3. 3What is in the SFBB pack?
4. 4How do you fill in an SFBB pack, step by step?
5. 5How do you fill in the SFBB daily diary?
6. 6What is the SFBB 4-weekly review?
7. 7What are the Prove it checks in SFBB?
8. 8Does SFBB cover allergens and staff training records?
9. 9How do inspectors use SFBB in your food hygiene rating?
10. 10What SFBB mistakes do inspectors find?
11. 11How do you keep SFBB up to date when your menu changes?
12. 12Is there a digital or app version of SFBB?
13. 13Is SFBB enough, or do you need a full HACCP plan?
14. 14What do Scotland and Northern Ireland use instead of SFBB?
15. 15Which training helps you run SFBB properly?
16. 16Frequently asked questions

This guide explains what is in the pack, how to fill it in and how inspectors look at it, based on the current Food Standards Agency (FSA) packs. It is general information, not legal advice: your council’s environmental health team has the final say.

What is Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB)?

SFBB is a set of printable, fill-in packs published by the FSA for small businesses in England and Wales. Each pack turns the HACCP approach into plain-English worksheets. The introduction says you will not find words such as “HACCP” or “hazard” in it, because the jargon has been cut out, but it is still a food safety management system based on HACCP principles. It suits businesses with fairly simple food processes.

The FSA currently publishes these packs:

There are also SFBB teaching resources for colleges. Every pack can be downloaded in full or one section at a time, free of charge.

Do you have to use Safer Food, Better Business?

No. The legal duty is in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004: food business operators “shall put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles”. In Great Britain this regulation is now assimilated law, which is how the FSA asks readers to treat references to retained EU law. Northern Ireland applies the EU version.

Article 5 does not name SFBB or any other pack. It requires documents and records “commensurate with the nature and size of the food business”, and the FSA’s managing food safety guidance says you can use its packs to put your procedures in place. You could instead:

• write your own HACCP-based system;
• use an industry guide or a system from a franchise, head office or consultant;
• use the FSA’s free MyHACCP tool, which is aimed at small food manufacturers;
• in Scotland or Northern Ireland, use CookSafe, RetailSafe or Safe Catering.

Two caveats matter. The SFBB introduction states that it is an offence not to have food safety procedures in place. And the FSA says procedures “may not be necessary if processes in your business are very simple”, in which case good hygiene practice can meet the requirement. A shop selling only wrapped, ambient goods might fall into that category, but ask your council rather than assume it.

Whatever you choose, an officer will judge whether it fits what you actually do.

What is in the SFBB pack?

The caterers pack has an introduction followed by six sections:

• Cross-contamination: personal hygiene, food allergies, cloths, separating foods, physical and chemical contamination, pest control and maintenance.
• Cleaning: handwashing, your cleaning schedule, cleaning effectively, and clear and clean as you go.
• Chilling: chilled food storage and display, chilling down hot food, defrosting and freezing.
• Cooking: cooking safely, foods that need extra care, reheating, checking your menu, hot holding, ready-to-eat food and acrylamide.
• Management: opening and closing checks, extra checks, Prove it, managing food allergen information, training and supervision, customers, suppliers and contractors, stock control, product withdrawal and recall, and the safe method completion record.
• Diary: the week-to-view diary pages, 4-weekly review, staff training record, suppliers’ list, contacts list, cleaning schedule and Prove it records.

The first four sections follow the 4 Cs of food hygiene. The retailer pack follows the same pattern with retail-specific methods, such as bake-off products, rotisserie chicken and frozen storage.

Each safe method has “Safety point” and “Why” columns, and a “How do you do this?” column where you write what your business actually does. On the back, “Check it”, “What to do if things go wrong” and “How to stop this happening again” columns cover checking and corrective action.

How do you fill in an SFBB pack, step by step?

The FSA says the safe methods must be completed before you start food operations and the diary filled in every day after that. A practical order is:

1. Download the right pack for your business type, plus the care home supplement if it applies.
2. Name the person in charge. They must make sure staff know how to use the pack and that the diary is completed when they are not at work.
3. Work through one section at a time. Fill in each “How do you do this?” column with what you really do: your fridge temperatures, your cleaning chemicals and contact times, how you keep raw and ready-to-eat food apart.
4. Mark methods that do not apply. If you do not hot hold food, tick “not relevant” on the safe method completion record rather than leaving a blank.
5. Sign off each method on the completion record with a date and signature.
6. Fill in the diary support pages: the suppliers’ list, contacts list (including your environmental health team), cleaning schedule and staff training record.
7. Train your staff on the safe methods that apply to their jobs and record it.
8. Start the diary and fill in the review table at the front of the pack, which records when the pack was first completed and each review date.

The pack says it “should always be available at the business”, so keep it where staff can use it.

How do you fill in the SFBB daily diary?

The diary is a week-to-view page. Each day, the person responsible for the business ticks to confirm the opening checks and closing checks were done, then writes their name and signs beneath the statement “Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.” At the end of each week there is a box for extra checks, the less frequent jobs such as a deep clean, dishwasher maintenance or a probe accuracy check.

The opening checks include working fridges and equipment, staff fit for work, clean preparation areas, no sign of pests, hot running water, a working probe and accurate allergen information. The closing checks include covering and chilling food, discarding food on its use-by date, cleaning and recording the Prove it checks. You can add your own.

SFBB uses an exceptions approach for written notes. The FSA’s diary introduction says: “If anything different happens, or if something goes wrong, you should make a note in the diary of what happened and what you did.” It also says the diary “should take about one minute a day to complete, unless you have something special to write down”. A normal day needs ticks and a signature; a day when the walk-in fridge read 11°C needs a note of what you found, what you did with the food and how you fixed the fridge.

Exceptions-only does not mean records-free. The daily ticks and signature are still required, the closing checks include recording Prove it checks, and the pack says some businesses “may need to keep more records” depending on their size and nature. If you sign the diary, you are confirming you supervised everyone who handled food that day, so do not sign it before the day is over.

If you are away, you can hand the diary to a trained member of staff and note who has that responsibility. On shift work it may need more than one signature.

What is the SFBB 4-weekly review?

Every four weeks, the person in charge completes a review page. The pack asks you to walk around the kitchen and watch whether safe methods are being followed, then look back over the last four weeks of diary entries. If there was a serious problem, or the same thing went wrong three times or more, you note it, find out why and record what you did to resolve it.

A yes-or-no checklist follows. It asks about allergen updates for menu or ingredient changes, new equipment, processes and suppliers, the cleaning schedule, staff training, food complaints, probe calibration in the last four weeks, and extra and Prove it checks.

The form includes an important line: “this review requires completion even if no problems have been found.” A blank review page because nothing went wrong is a gap, not a clean record. Even if you delegate the daily diary, the caterers pack says you should still complete the 4-weekly review yourself.

Childminders work differently. Their pack uses action sheets, filled in only when there is a problem or a change, and a 3-monthly review.

What are the Prove it checks in SFBB?

Prove it is the Management safe method that asks you to show your methods work, usually with a clean, disinfected probe thermometer. It covers cooking and reheating, hot holding at or above 63°C, chilling down hot food, chilled storage at 8°C or below, and frozen storage at -18°C or below. You record results on the Prove it records sheet in the diary.

The pack also tells you to check the probe itself. If the manufacturer’s instructions do not say how often, check it regularly, for example once a month. In iced water it should read between -1°C and 1°C, and in boiling water between 99°C and 101°C; outside those ranges, replace or recalibrate it. Our food temperature control guide explains the legal limits, the defences and the different rules in Scotland, so we have not repeated them here.

Does SFBB cover allergens and staff training records?

Yes, both. In the caterers pack, the “Food allergies” safe method covers preventing allergen cross-contact in the kitchen. “Managing food allergen information” covers what you tell customers, labels for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food, phone and online orders, “free from” claims and checking deliveries for substitutions. The FSA also points to free tools such as an allergen recipe chart and its online food allergy training. See our guide to the 14 allergens for the list you must declare.

Training is covered by the “Training and supervision” safe method and the staff training record, where you date and initial each safe method for every member of staff, starting on day one. It has space for “other training or retraining”, and the FSA’s example entries include Level 2 food safety and allergen awareness.

The law does not require a certificate. Chapter XII of Annex II requires food handlers to be supervised and instructed or trained in food hygiene in a way that matches their work. Whoever develops and maintains your SFBB pack must have had adequate training in applying HACCP principles. A Level 2 course is a common way to evidence that training in the record; our guide to the Level 2 food hygiene certificate explains who needs one. For kitchen staff, the Food Safety and Hygiene (Catering) Level 2 course covers the topics behind the SFBB safe methods, including HACCP-based food safety management, temperature control, personal hygiene and allergens.

How do inspectors use SFBB in your food hygiene rating?

The FSA’s rating guidance for businesses says the officer checks three elements: how hygienically food is handled, the physical condition of the business, and how you manage food safety through processes, training and systems. That third element lets the officer assess “the level of confidence in standards being maintained in the future”. It is usually called confidence in management.

Your SFBB pack is key evidence for it, but not the only evidence. The FSA’s Brand Standard for officers says this score “is not solely about documented procedures and their implementation”. Officers also weigh your track record, management’s attitude and staff knowledge. Our food hygiene rating guide sets out what builds and what destroys that confidence.

What SFBB mistakes do inspectors find?

We have not found published figures on how often each problem occurs, so treat this as a checklist, not a ranking. One published Norwich City Council inspection report on a café recorded SFBB safe methods missing for chilling, cleaning, cooking and cross-contamination. The business had only refill pages on site, and its completed pack was several years out of date. The officer noted that the missing documentation had led to a poor confidence in management score.

The gaps to check in your own pack:

• Blank “How do you do this?” columns. A downloaded pack with nothing written in it is not your system.
• Diary pages only. Refill diary pages without the completed safe methods behind them.
• Pack not on site, or locked in an office where staff cannot use it.
• Missing daily ticks or signatures, or a diary signed before the day has ended.
• 4-weekly reviews skipped because nothing went wrong.
• Safe methods that no longer match the menu, equipment or suppliers.
• No probe accuracy checks or Prove it records.
• Allergen information out of step with current recipes, or a new supplier’s product not checked.
• Gaps in the staff training record, especially for new starters.

How do you keep SFBB up to date when your menu changes?

The law requires it. Article 5 says that when “any modification is made in the product, process, or any step”, you must review the procedure and make the necessary changes, and that documents describing your procedures must be “up-to-date at all times”. A new menu is exactly that kind of modification.

When dishes, suppliers or equipment change, work through this list:

• Checking your menu: this sheet records how you check each type of key cooked dish. The pack notes: “If your menu changes, you may need to fill out this sheet again.”
• Allergen information: update your allergen records and any PPDS labels before the new dish goes on sale, and brief staff.
• New processes: if you start hot holding, cooling batches, vacuum packing or delivering, complete the relevant safe method or ask your council whether SFBB still fits.
• Suppliers’ list and cleaning schedule: add new suppliers and any new equipment.
• Staff training record: retrain staff on the changed methods and record it.
• Review table: date and sign the review at the front of the pack, and note the change in the diary.

The 4-weekly review asks about these changes too, but do not wait for it if the change is big.

Is there a digital or app version of SFBB?

Not from the FSA, as far as we could find. The FSA publishes SFBB as downloadable PDF packs and sections. Its SFBB page says you can keep an electronic diary by downloading the diary pages to your device, filling them in and storing them electronically, or print the diary and fill it in. Either way, it says to keep completed diary pages until your next visit from a food safety officer, who may want to see them as well as the pack.

Commercial apps offer SFBB-style digital diaries, but they are not FSA products. Officers judge the content, not the format, so check any app covers every safe method that applies to you and stays accessible to staff. For allergen and calorie information, the FSA offers MenuCal, a free online tool.

Is SFBB enough, or do you need a full HACCP plan?

SFBB is a HACCP-based system without the jargon, designed to be enough for small caterers and retailers with simple processes. The SFBB introduction itself says the MyHACCP tool “is better suited to more complex food businesses”. The FSA’s HACCP guidance says SFBB and Safe Catering provide “a simpler approach if your food production processes are simple”.

The practical test is whether the safe methods cover everything you do. If you manufacture food or use processes the pack does not describe, you will probably need a full HACCP plan with a flow diagram, critical control points and critical limits. Our HACCP guide explains the seven principles and the practical route for small businesses, so we have not repeated them here. If you are unsure, your council’s environmental health team can advise.

What do Scotland and Northern Ireland use instead of SFBB?

SFBB is written for England and Wales. Food Standards Scotland publishes CookSafe for catering businesses. It is closer to a traditional HACCP manual, with five sections: an introduction, a flow diagram section, HACCP charts, house rules and records. It is also available in Chinese, Punjabi, Bengali and Urdu. RetailSafe is the equivalent for retailers handling unwrapped high-risk foods and is built on the CookSafe approach.

In Northern Ireland, the FSA’s SFBB pages direct businesses to Safe Catering. This is the food safety management guide for caterers and for retailers with a catering function, with recording forms for deliveries, fridge temperatures, cooking and cooling, hot holding, training and fitness to work.

Mobile traders should see our guide to market stall and food van hygiene rules for what a written system needs to add for trading on the move. For the wider legal framework, see our guide to UK food hygiene law.

Which training helps you run SFBB properly?

An SFBB pack only works if the people signing it understand why each safe method exists. Nexis CPD courses are CPD-accredited awareness training, not Ofqual-regulated qualifications, and support rather than replace your system. Three courses fit together for a small kitchen:

Together they cost £18 rather than £27 under the pay-for-2-get-3 offer. If you train 5 or more staff, team places cost £6 a course place, with places lasting 12 months.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Safer Food, Better Business a legal requirement?

No. The legal requirement is to have food safety procedures based on HACCP principles that fit your business. SFBB is the FSA’s free way of meeting that requirement in England and Wales, but you can use another documented system instead. If your processes are very simple, good hygiene practice may be enough; ask your council.

How often do you fill in the SFBB diary?

Every day you trade. The person responsible ticks the opening and closing checks and signs to confirm the safe methods were followed. You only write notes when something different happens or goes wrong, and you complete a review every four weeks.

Do you have to complete the 4-weekly review if nothing went wrong?

Yes. The FSA’s review page says it requires completion even if no problems have been found. It also includes a checklist on allergen updates, new suppliers, staff training and probe calibration.

Can I keep my SFBB diary on a computer or tablet?

Yes. The FSA says you can download the diary pages, fill them in on your device and store them electronically. Keep completed pages until your next inspection.

What is the Scottish version of SFBB?

Food Standards Scotland publishes CookSafe for catering businesses and RetailSafe for retailers handling unwrapped high-risk foods. Northern Ireland uses Safe Catering, which also covers retailers with a catering function.

Does SFBB include a staff training record?

Yes. The diary section includes a staff training record where you date and initial each safe method a member of staff has been trained on, plus other training such as Level 2 food safety and allergen awareness.

General information, not legal advice — check with your local authority’s environmental health team. This guide summarises Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 as it applies in the UK, the Food Standards Agency’s Safer Food, Better Business packs, managing food safety and food hygiene rating guidance, and Food Standards Scotland’s CookSafe and RetailSafe guides, as checked on 26 October 2026. Nexis CPD courses are CPD-accredited awareness training: they are not Ofqual-regulated qualifications and do not replace your food safety management system, your council’s advice or practical supervision.