Food safety management systems are what UK food law requires every food business to have, and the requirement is specific about the shape. The gov.uk guidance for food businesses, cited below, says a food safety management system must meet the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles, and describes critical control points as the points when you need to prevent, remove or reduce a hazard in your work process. A working system is the plan and the records that show it is followed every day the business trades. The food safety management system guide on this site covers the software category; the HACCP plan template prints the plan itself, free and without an account.
The plan
The processes the kitchen runs, the hazards at each step, the critical control points, their limits, the monitoring, the corrective actions and the verification. The FDA's HACCP principles and application guidelines, cited below, describe HACCP as a systematic approach to the identification, evaluation and control of food safety hazards based on seven principles. The template on this site prints the plan from the process list.
The records
Temperature records for cooking, cooling, reheating, holding and storage; cleaning records; the allergen matrix; supplier and traceability records; training; corrective actions; the calibration of the probe. The Food Standards Agency's cooking-your-food guidance, cited below, gives the danger zone as between 8 and 63°C, where bacterial growth occurs, and says leftovers must be cooled and put in the fridge within two hours and eaten within 48 hours. The temperature log planner on this site sizes the record.
The verification
Someone checks the system works: the records are complete, the probe reads true, the corrective actions were taken, the plan matches the menu. The food safety audit checklist on this site is that walk, and the inspector's third scoring area, management of food safety, is what it rehearses.
Paper or digital
Paper works until a record is missing on inspection day. A digital system keeps the records against the plan, reminds the kitchen when a check is due, and produces the whole set on request. The digital HACCP system guide on this site covers what to look for. FoodDocs lists its Lite plan at $99 per site per month billed monthly or $79 billed annually, and its Standard plan at $199 per site per month, with a free 14-day trial, on its pricing page cited below. ProbeLedger Pro is $49 per month for the whole site.
Questions people ask about food safety management systems
Is Safer Food Better Business a food safety management system?
It is the FSA's pack for small businesses built on HACCP principles; used and kept up to date, it is one.
Who checks the system?
The local authority's inspector, who scores management of food safety as one of the three areas of the food hygiene rating.
Is the template free?
Yes, without an account.