​CookSafe Guide

Relevant HACCP charts: All HACCP Charts

Why is training important? 

Training is important because the instruction and training of all food handlers is an essential activity in any food business if your staff are to learn how they can contribute to food safety. 

This sub-section will provide you with guidance that will be relevant to your business. Once you have read this sub-section you will be asked to draw up Training House Rules, writing down the intentions you have in the management and running of the training part of your HACCP based system. A blank training record is also included to assist you keep track of your staff training. If you already have training records in use, which cover the same points as the example record found at the end of this sub-section,there is no need to change what you are currently doing. 

Your Enforcement Officer will be able to offer you advice, guidance and support in setting up a HACCP based system appropriate to the type of business you run. The Officer will also be able to offer advice on training requirements for food handling staff. 

Your business may also choose to provide its own instruction or in–house training, which could, for example, be based on past experience or on guidance materials (‘CookSafe’ is an example of one of these) or self study/E-Learning. It is important to note that the Regulations do not require attendance on external training courses. 

What type of training is needed? 

Not all staff will need the same level of instruction, training or supervision. It will depend on the work that they carry out and the type of food they handle, their work experience and the training they have received in the past. Recommendations for you to consider in relation to training your staff are:

Your Enforcement Officer will be able to advise you on the courses most suitable for you and your staff and details of the nearest available courses.

HACCP Based Training

This manual is designed for you to draw up your own HACCP based system and can be used by you to train your staff. Your Enforcement Officer can give you advice, assistance and support in the introduction of a HACCP based system and advice on HACCP based training.

Your staff should receive training on your HACCP based system. The level of training they require will depend on their roles/duties for example:

Staff handling Low Risk Food (waiting staff, food service bar staff)

Will require to have an awareness of the system at induction or as soon as possible after starting work. These staff may have responsibility to control and monitor Critical Control Points (CCPs). (refer to the Introduction Section of this manual for further guidance on Critical Control Points (CCPs))

Staff handling High Risk Food (cooks, chefs, catering supervisors, kitchen assistants)

Will require a working knowledge and an understanding of the practical application of the HACCP based system at induction or as soon as possible after starting work. They will need to understand the hazards, the controls, which corrective actions to carry out, which procedures to document and have evidence to demonstrate that the procedures are being followed.

Managers or supervisors

Will also require to have a working knowledge and an understanding of the practical application of the HACCP based system (in relation to their duties) as soon as possible after starting work.

Managers/supervisors will need to manage or supervise food handling staff to ensure that they understand the hazards, the controls, which procedures to document and have evidence to demonstrate that the procedures are being followed.

The manager/supervisor will have a role to check that the procedures have been followed, verify that the system is working and checking that corrective actions and reviews have been carried out.

In a one-person business, management/ supervision will not be possible. In this case, the person working in the business must have sufficient training and knowledge of the HACCP based system. This includes, knowledge of the hazards, controls, corrective actions, review process and the supporting documentation. This person must also be able to demonstrate that the procedures are being followed.

What you need to do now

To effectively manage the Training part of your HACCP based system and using the information in this sub-section for guidance, go to the next page and write a list of House Rules covering the training for you and your staff.

Here is an example of how you could write your House Rules:

Monitoring

Once you have completed your House Rules for Training, you must then monitor their use. Keep a record of the monitoring you carry out. This can be done by using the Weekly Record. (refer to the Records Section in this manual)

Corrective Action

If you find that your Training House Rules are not being followed you must make a record of the problem you have identified and the action you have taken to correct it (usually retraining). This information can also be entered in the Weekly Record.

Action Plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update your Action Plan.

The Training House Rules are an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your House Rules need to be written to accurately reflect how you run your business and be readily understood by all of your food handling staff.

Note – When you have written all your House Rules to reflect how you run your catering business, you can then also use this information to assist in training your food handling staff in your HACCP based system.

Why is personal hygiene important?

People working in your business can contaminate food or spread contamination from raw to ready-to-eat foods. These risks can be controlled by good personal hygiene practices – especially making sure that hands and protective clothing are clean.

What needs to be considered?

Hand washing

Hand washing is vital and should be carried out thoroughly to prevent spread of contamination. An Effective Hand Washing Technique must be used and can be found later in this section. In particular, hands must be washed at the following times:

• before starting work
• before handling food
• after using the toilet
• after handling raw food and raw food packaging
• after touching bins or handling waste
• after every break
• after eating and drinking
• after cleaning
• and after blowing your nose.

Hand contact

Try to always minimise direct hand contact with raw food by the use of tongs, utensils and the safe use of disposable gloves. Ensure that clean hands do not become contaminated by touching hand contact surfaces such as light switches, door handles, cash registers, telephones and pens.

Before disposable gloves can be used in your business, you need to consider that disposable gloves can become a source of contamination and it is vitally important that you consider if gloves can be used safely in your business. The following points should be noted:

• hands should always be washed thoroughly before putting gloves on
• gloves must be disposed of if they are damaged
• gloves must be changed if they are in contact with items such as money and must not then be used to handle ready-to-eat foods.

Note: Disposable gloves should never be used as an alternative to hand washing. 

Effective hand washing technique

Food handlers must be trained and verified as competent in an effective hand washing technique. This is particularly important where there is a risk of cross contamination between raw and ready-to- eat foods.

The following steps should always be included:

1. Wet your hands thoroughly and apply liquid soap*
2. Rub palm to palm to make a lather.
3. Rub the palm of one hand along the back of the other hand and along the fingers. Then repeat with the other hand.
4. Rub palm to palm with fingers interlaced.
5. Rub the backs of the fingers with the opposite palm with the fingers interlocked. Then repeat with the other hand.
6. Clasp and rotate the thumb in the palm of the opposite hand. Then repeat with the other hand.
7. Rub backwards and forwards over the palm with clasped fingers. Then repeat with the other hand.
8. Rinse off the soap with clean water and dry your hands hygienically with a single use towel*.
9. To ensure washed hands do not come into contact with the taps, use a clean single use towel to turn the taps off.

Please Note: If after washing, your hands are not visibly clean, then the Hand Washing Technique has not been effective and should be repeated.

*These materials are recommended as part of the generic CookSafe approach. Operators may use alternative materials provided they will produce equivalent hygienic outcomes.

Personal cleanliness

• Hair should be tied back and preferably covered
• Food handlers should not sneeze or cough over food
• Cuts and sores should be covered with a waterproof (preferably highly visible) dressing
• Jewellery should be kept to a minimum when preparing and handling food.

Protective clothing

• All staff working in the food preparation area should wear suitable, clean protective clothing, which should be changed and laundered regularly at a suitably high temperature, in order to protect the food you are preparing
• If protective clothing becomes contaminated from handling raw food it must be changed before handling ready-to-eat food. The use of disposable plastic aprons is recommended when carrying out any activities where raw foods are being handled and where there is a high risk of protective clothing being contaminated by raw foods
• Hand washing should take place after removing contaminated clothing and before putting on clean protective clothing. Rules on the safe use of protective clothing must be written in the House Rule at the end of this sub-section.

Reporting illness/exclusion

There is a requirement to report illness that may present a hazard to food safety and to exclude people from food handling duties where there is any likelihood of causing contamination of food.

Food handlers suffering from any of the complaints listed on the ‘Return to Work Questionnaire’, found at the end of this sub-section, must be excluded from food handling until they have fully recovered.

It is good practice to encourage staff to also report if anyone in their household is suffering from diarrhoea, stomach upset or vomiting. The law puts the responsibility on employers to satisfy themselves that no food handler poses a risk to food safety.

Exclusion/return to work after illness

It is recommended that staff should not return to work until they have been free of gastro- intestinal symptoms (vomiting/diarrhoea) for 48 hours. Staff who have been taking anti-diarrhoeal medication should not return to work until they have been symptom-free for at least 48 hours after stopping use of the medication.

Certain infections including dysentery, E. coli O157, typhoid and paratyphoid require formal exclusion and then medical clearance before returning to food handling duties. A ‘Return to Work Questionnaire’ can be found at the end of this sub-section.

Please note that some individuals may have medical conditions that cause changes to bowel habits which are not associated with a risk of infection. In such cases, only a change in bowel habit associated with a possible infection should be considered significant.

What you need to do now

To effectively manage the Personal Hygiene part of your HACCP based system and using the information in this sub-section for guidance, go to the next page and write a list of House Rules covering Personal Hygiene for your business.

Here is an example of how you could write your House Rules:

Monitoring

Once you have completed your House Rules for Personal Hygiene, you must then monitor their use. Keep a record of the monitoring you carry out. This can be done by using the Weekly Record (refer to the Records Section in this manual).

Corrective Action

You must ensure that Personal Hygiene House Rules are implemented at all times. If you observe that a member of staff has not washed their hands when they should, make sure they wash them straight away and if there is a possibility that ready-to-eat food has become contaminated, throw it away. Emphasise how important it is to wash hands when working with food and retrain the member of staff. Increase staff supervision until you are satisfied that the staff member’s hand washing procedures are effective. Make a record of the problem you have identified and the action you have taken to correct it in the Weekly Record.

The training given in Personal Hygiene should be recorded on the training record. An example of a training record can be found in the Training House Rules sub-section of this manual. 

Action plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update your Action Plan.

The Personal Hygiene House Rules are an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your House Rules need to be written to accurately reflect how you run your business and be readily understood by all of your food handling staff.

What is the difference between Cleaning and Disinfection? 

Cleaning is the process of physical removal of food debris, visible dirt and food particles from surfaces, equipment and fittings using hot water and detergent. Cleaning on its own will not remove all bacteria. 

Disinfection is the process of killing bacteria and viruses following general cleaning. Any disinfectant used must be applied to a visibly clean surface and be of the following standard: BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697.

Note: Check the label of your existing products to see if they meet the BS EN standard. You may wish to contact your enforcement officer for a list of companies in your area that supply suitable cleaning and disinfection products.

Why do we need to Clean and Disinfect?

Cleaning and disinfection are vitally important for a number of reasons:

• To prevent food poisoning – proper cleaning and disinfection will facilitate the removal of harmful bacteria from surfaces and equipment and will help to reduce the risk of cross contamination
• To remove physical materials which may contaminate food or attract pests.

What needs to be Cleaned and Disinfected?

All equipment and areas within food premises require to be kept clean. However, you must decide when disinfection is necessary. CookSafe provides guidance on how to control cross contamination within your business by means of disinfection. The application of this guidance will also enable you to maintain adequate general hygiene. Please note disinfection will always be necessary as part of your cross contamination controls.

You should also clean and disinfect sinks, washbasins, taps and any other items that are liable to come in contact with food either directly or indirectly.

Equipment and surfaces which come into contact with raw foods should be disinfected, for example, chopping boards, utensils, food storage containers and pots.

Items that come into contact with food indirectly by hand contact should be disinfected as necessary, for example, light switches, taps, fridge door handles, sinks and wash hand basins.

Identify all food areas and equipment used in your business and list them in your Cleaning Schedule. An example of a Cleaning Schedule is provided later in this sub-section.

Food waste containers, refuse waste bins and all waste storage areas should also be cleaned as appropriate.

Separation of equipment during cleaning and disinfection

Dishwasher

Equipment and utensils used only for raw food and those used only for ready- to-eat food can be cleaned and disinfected together in a dishwasher, where there is evidence that the dishwasher can achieve an appropriate level of heat disinfection. The dishwasher must be used and maintained in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.

Twinsink
Equipment and utensils used for only raw food must be cleaned and disinfected separately from equipment and utensils used for only ready-to-eat food when using a twin sink.

Cleaning and disinfection key points

Cleaning chemicals:

Cleaning chemicals should be stored away from the food preparation areas and should not contaminate food.

Cleaning materials and equipment:

• Separate materials and equipment must be used for cleaning and disinfecting raw food handling areas, from cleaning materials and equipment used in the rest of the kitchen.
• Colour Coding of cleaning materials is recommended as this provides visual confirmation of effective cross-contamination controls.
• Dishcloths must be kept clean and should be laundered at a suitably high temperature.
• Single-use cloths provide a reliable way of ensuring cleaning and disinfection does not present cross contamination risks and can be used on hand contact surfaces such as light switches, door handles and telephones to prevent spread of contamination.

Cloths, scouring pads and sponges which are re-used for on-going cleaning, must not become a source of contamination. It is recommended that cloths are stored in a disinfectant solution between uses and rinsed under hot water after each use before being returned to the disinfectant. To ensure the disinfectant remains effective at all times, the solution strength must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Please remember that frequent use and heavy soiling will require more frequent changes of the solution.

What methods should be used to Clean and Disinfect?

The 3 main methods for cleaning and disinfection are: Dishwasher, Twin Sink and Clean and Disinfect in Place and are described in the table below.

How do I decide the method I should use to Clean and Disinfect?

A diagram has been provided below to help you to decide what and how to clean and disinfect in your food business.

The terms detergent and disinfectant are defined as:

Detergent: a cleaning substance (which does not have disinfectant properties) made from chemical compounds and used for general cleaning.

Disinfectant: a substance capable of destroying harmful bacteria, when applied to a visibly clean surface, at a specified concentration and contact time. Note: any disinfectant used as a control against cross contamination must be of the BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697 standard.

What you need to do now

A Cleaning Schedule lists the items of equipment in use within the business and the frequency andmethodof cleaning and disinfection required. Cleaning Schedules areusually written in the form of a table. Using the information in this sub-section for guidance and any other information you currently have, develop a Cleaning Schedule to reflect how you manage the Cleaning in your business.

Here is an example of how you could write a Cleaning Schedule.

Please note: It is essential that the correct dilution of chemicals is used for the recommended contact time. Always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Monitoring and Corrective Action

You must ensure that Cleaning House Rules are implemented at all times. If a breakdown in controls is detected and a potential risk of cross contamination exists, it must be considered a serious incident and your corrective action would be to dispose of the food; clean and disinfectthe surfaces and equipment; retrain staff; record the problem and action taken to ensure it is not repeated in the Weekly Record and Training House Rules.
 

Training

It is critical that all relevant staff are trained and verified as competent in your cleaning procedures that form part of your Cleaning House Rules. This includes training on the correct disinfection techniques including correct dilution and application of chemicals, before working unsupervised. This training should be recorded in your Training House Rules.

Action Plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update the Action Plan.

The Cleaning Schedule is an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your Cleaning Schedule needs to be written to reflect how you manage the cleaning in your business and be readily understood by all of your food.

Why is Temperature Control important?

Temperature control is important because harmful bacteria are a hazard present in many of the foods handled in catering businesses. They also tend to multiply rapidly at room temperature. As bacteria are invisible to the naked eye and cannot be physically removed from food, all we can do is control their numbers. There are, however, two main ways in which temperature can be used to achieve this :

1. We can destroy harmful bacteria, or reduce their numbers, by cooking or reheating and
2. We can control their growth by keeping food hot or cold

How can temperatures be used to keep food safe?

In catering operations, the following practices are recommended to keep food safe.

 How are these temperatures used to keep food safe?

HACCP based food safety procedures require the business to set Critical Limits.

The table above gives Critical Limits that may be appropriate for your business. You may, however, find that there are other temperatures or methods, which are more suitable for you. The Critical Limits that you choose must be sufficient to ensure that the food you produce is safe. For further advice, you should contact your Enforcement Officer.

How can Temperature Control Measures and Critical Limits be described?

The table below lists the process steps found in most catering businesses and provides suggestions on how to use the information contained in the table on the previous page. Consider your own catering procedures and then describe your Temperature Control procedures as well as the Critical Limits that apply to you:

How can you tell that your Critical Limit Temperatures are being achieved? 

When using HACCP based procedures, you are required to check that your Critical Limits are being met. This is referred to as Monitoring. The most reliable method of monitoring temperatures is by the use of a suitable thermometer – a procedure often referred to as Probing. However, it is not always necessary or appropriate to use a thermometer. In such cases, other methods may be more practical. (refer to Cold and Hot Temperature Monitoring Without using a Thermometer paragraph below).

At the end of this sub-section, you will be asked to draw up your House Rules for Temperature Control. These House Rules should include the Critical Limits for each process step and the Monitoring procedures you will follow.

Temperature Monitoring using a Thermometer

In many cases, the temperature of food can be checked using a probe thermometer. Ideally, a hand-held digital thermometer should be used when probing foods and checking air temperatures. This may be supplemented by additional “in-place” thermometers which may be located in refrigerators, chills, cold displays and freezers. Thermometers should be kept clean at all times. Probe thermometers should be sanitised/disinfected before/after each use. Under no circumstances should a mercury in glass thermometer be used as it would present a contamination risk if it breaks. 

It is important that you regularly check that the probe thermometer you are using is working correctly.

Cold Temperature Monitoring

• Always check the temperature of the warmest part of the chill
• Avoid checking the temperature of refrigerators, chills, cold displays or freezers immediately after the door/lid has been open for any significant period of time or during a defrost cycle
• Displays built into refrigerators, chills, cold displays and freezers indicate the air temperature within the appliance. These can be useful for day-to-day monitoring but should be checked regularly with a digital thermometer as a back-up check.
• Avoid puncturing the packaging of wrapped food when checking temperatures. In this case, temperatures should be taken from between the packs

Hot Temperature Monitoring

• The temperature of a food may vary throughout, especially during cooling and heating, therefore large pieces of meat or poultry should be probed at the thickest part. Alternatively, in the case of stews, soups and other ‘liquid’ foods served hot, it is essential that food is stirred to ensure adequate distribution of heat before probing
• Temperatures of foods being ‘Hot Held’ in a bain-marie or displayed at a buffet are best measured by probing the foods

Cold and Hot Temperature Monitoring - Without using a Thermometer

Certain foods may not require to be probed every time they are cooked, cooled or reheated. This may be because there are other ways of ensuring that the Critical Limit has been achieved.

For example:

• When cooking items like stir fry, it may be sufficient to make a visual check that it is thoroughly cooked
• When cooking or reheating individual portions on a repeated, identical basis, it may be sufficient to simply repeat the exact procedure on every occasion
• When checking that a freezer is functioning properly, it may be sufficient to make sure that the contents are still obviously frozen and that there is no visible evidence of defrosting

You are provided with a number of forms that can be used to record temperature monitoring but it is your decision which records are appropriate for your business.

Temperature checks can be recorded on any of the following record forms:

1. Delivery Record    
2. Cold Food Record
3. Hot Temperature Record
4. Hot Holding Record
5. Off Site Temperature Record
6. All-In-One Record (used as an alternative to records 1 - 5)
7. Weekly Record

These record examples can be found in the Records section of this manual.

What you need to do now

How to draw up your Temperature Control House Rules

• Consider what you do – ‘CookSafe’ requires that you consider the various Temperature Control procedures that are followed in your business
• Write them down in the table - Write down the Temperature Control measures that are applied at each process step. A table, which can be used for this purpose may be found at the end of this sub-section. Remember to include a Critical Limit for each process step
• Refer to the guidance at the start of this sub-section - You may refer back to the table at the start of this sub-section for guidance on suitable Critical Limits. Alternatively, you may wish to specify other temperatures which are more appropriate for your business
• Write down how you will monitor Temperature Control - State the monitoring procedure you intend to use to ensure your Critical Limit has been achieved. Remember to state clearly the frequency of monitoring and describe how this monitoring will be recorded

Here is an example of how you could write your House Rules:

Monitoring

Once you have completed your House Rules for Temperature Control, you must then monitor their use. Keep a record of the monitoring you carry out. This can be done using the Delivery Record, Cold Food Record, Hot Temperature Record, Hot Holding Record, Off Site Temperature Record or alternatively the All-in-One Record and the Weekly Record. (refer to the Records Section of this manual).

Corrective Action

If you find that your Temperature Control House Rules are not being followed you must make a record of the problem you have identified and the action you have taken to correct it. This information can be entered in the Weekly Record.
The training given in Temperature Control should be recorded on the training record. An example of a training record can be found in the Training House Rules sub-section of this manual.

Action Plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update your Action Plan.

The Temperature Control House Rules are an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your House Rules need to be written to accurately reflect how you run your business and be readily understood by your food handling staff.
 

What is Cross Contamination?

Cross contamination occurs when harmful bacteria are transferred from contaminated food to uncontaminated food.

How does Cross Contamination occur?

• By Direct Cross Contamination – contact between raw food and ready-to-eat food during transport, storage or preparation
• By Indirect Cross Contamination - spread of bacteria from raw food to ready-to-eat food via food handlers, equipment or surfaces. For example, indirect cross contamination can occur via refrigerator door handles, knives, chopping boards, work surfaces, chefs’ cloths or cleaning cloths.

Why is it important to prevent Cross Contamination?

Cross contamination has frequently been found to be the cause of food poisoning outbreaks. Bacteria in contaminated food are not visible to the naked eye and do not cause noticeable food spoilage or affect taste, smell or texture.
Importantly, ready-to-eat food must be protected from cross contamination at all times. This is because there are no further controls to protect your customers from the risk of food poisoning, once contamination has taken place.

How can I prevent Cross Contamination from occurring in my business?

Think SAFE. Use the acronym SAFE to help you think about how you can separate raw and ready- to-eat foods and prevent cross contamination. SAFE stands for Staff, Areas, Food and Equipment and should be considered at each step in your process. Further information is available in the BEST PRACTICE table, found later in this sub section.

How can I apply SAFE thinking to my business?

Stage 1 – Think about the raw food coming into your business.

• Who handles it?
• Where is it received?
• Where is it stored?
• Where is it prepared?
• Is it kept separate from ready-to-eat food?
• What equipment and utensils does it come into contact with?

Stage 2 – Introduce Permanent Physical Separation

Stage 3 – Train all staff to think SAFE

What if I can’t manage to introduce Permanent Physical Separation in my business?

Permanent Physical Separation of Staff, Areas, Food and Equipment is the safest way of preventing cross contamination. However, if you are unable to fully implement Permanent Separation, you should consider Temporary Separation measures. These measures may be applied to Staff or Areas, singly or in combination, but will not be appropriate for Food and Equipment. For example you may allow staff to handle raw and then ready-to-eat foods with controls, but still have a Permanent Raw Food Area.

The table on the next page looks at each process step and shows you how to introduce Physical Separation in the BEST PRACTICE column. If you are unable to do this the GOOD PRACTICE column gives you alternative options. Try to have the majority of your procedures following BEST PRACTICE.

Note 1: Once vegetables are washed (and if necessary peeled) they can be stored as ready-to-eat.

Note 2: Unless the label states that the product is ready-to-eat, you must assume that it will require to be washed (and if necessary peeled) prior to consumption.

Note: Bean sprouts not labelled ready-to-eat will require thorough cooking before consumption.

Additional Guidance on Cooking and Cooling

• Organise staff, workspace and flow of foods to ensure total separation between raw and ready- to-eat foods during cooking and cooling
• Never cool food in the raw food area
• Utensils used for handling raw food at the start of the cooking process e.g. ladles, spoons, and spatulas should be used in such a way that there is no risk of cross contamination between raw food and ready-to-eat food 
• A probe thermometer used for monitoring cooking temperatures must be identifiable for use for ready-to-eat food only.

What you need to do now

To effectively manage the Cross Contamination Prevention part of your HACCP based system and using the information for guidance, go to the end of this sub section and write a list of House Rules covering Cross Contamination Prevention.

Here is an example of how you could write your House Rules:
 

Monitoring

Research evidence has shown that cross contamination is very difficult to control in a catering environment. The easiest and most reliable way to prevent cross contamination is through Physical Separation. Much of the monitoring of cross contamination prevention will rely on visual checking. This can be made easier by using colour coded/identifiable equipment and disposable plastic aprons for raw food handling. Once you have completed your House Rules for Cross Contamination Prevention, you must then monitor their use. Keep a record of the monitoring using the Weekly Record.

Corrective Action

You must ensure that cross contamination controls are implemented at all times. If for example you see that ready-to-eat food is being prepared in the Permanent Raw Food Area, it is considered a serious incident and your corrective action would be to dispose of the food; clean and disinfect the surfaces and equipment; retrain staff; record the problem and action taken to ensure it is not repeated in the Weekly Record and Training House Rules.

Action Plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update your Action Plan.

The Cross Contamination Prevention House Rules are an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your House Rules need to be written to accurately reflect how you run your business and be readily understood by all of your food handling employees.

Relevant HACCP Charts: Storage, Preparation, Cooling

Why is Pest Control important?

Pest control is important because pests can carry harmful bacteria that can contaminate foods and cause illness. These harmful bacteria can be passed to the food by contact with their hair, faeces and urine. Pests can also cause serious damage to the structure and fabric of food premises.

What are Pests?

Generally speaking, pests are animals, birds or insects that contaminate food either directly or indirectly.

They include:

• rodents, for example, rats and mice
• insects, for example, flies, cockroaches, beetles, ants, wasps, bees and various insects that can be found in stored products
• birds, for example, pigeons, crows, seagulls, starlings and sparrows

What needs to be considered?

Pest Proofing of the Premises

The building must be in good condition and repair in order to restrict pest access and prevent potential breeding sites. This can be done by :
•    Using wire mesh screens to pest proof air vents
•    Sealing holes, and other places where pests can gain access
•    Keeping the floors, walls, roof, doors and window openings in a good state of repair with no gaps or spaces
•    Fitting drain covers to prevent pests gaining access

Insect Screens

• windows opening directly into food preparation areas must be fitted with screens capable of resisting common flying insects (ideally apertures should be of 2mm2 or less)
• screens must be removable to allow for cleaning
• kitchen doors which open to the outside air and which are opened for lengthy periods must also be suitably screened using a close-fitting insect-proof screen door

Electronic Fly-Killing Devices

•  flying insects can be destroyed using an electronic fly-killing device. Manufacturers will give advice on the location, cleaning and maintenance of this type of equipment. The maintenance records of this equipment will become part of your HACCP based system documentation.

Good Housekeeping

• inspect stock on delivery to make sure that there are no visible signs of damage by pests
• premises and refuse stores must be managed in such a way as to enable them to be kept clean, and protected against 
• access by pests (refer to Waste Control and Maintenance House Rules in this manual)
• foods which are awaiting preparation or are being defrosted or are cooling should remain covered
• food waste should be placed in containers with suitably fitted lids and removed frequently from food handling areas where it is produced (refer to Waste Control House Rules in this manual)
• food should be stored off the floor and away from walls
• food should, where possible, be stored in rodent-proof containers
• vegetation around the outside of the premises should be kept to a minimum

Pest Control Contractor

• some businesses may decide to employ a pest control company to monitor the premises on a regular basis
• a pest control contract should include checking for the presence of all pests, monitor the pest proofing of the premises and the eradication of any infestations found
• a reputable pest control company should provide advice on housekeeping and storage arrangements to prevent access by pests
• the contractor should be able to provide a 24 hour emergency cover and should provide a written report after each visit. It is recommended that any pest contractor report is kept as part of your HACCP based system documentation

Checking and Inspection

• all areas of the food premises should be checked regularly for signs of pests such as rodent droppings, smear marks, insect egg cases and dead insects
• staff should be made aware of the signs of pests and what action they must take should they discover pests or signs of pests
• management must take immediate and appropriate action to control any infestation of pests identified on their premises
• foods should be checked for the presence of pests, for example, insects within cereals/grains

What you need to do now

To effectively manage the Pest Control part of your HACCP based system and using the information in this sub-section for guidance, go to the next page and write a list of House Rules covering Pest Control for your business.
Here is an example of how you could write your House Rules:

Monitoring

Once you have completed your House Rules for Pest Control, you must then monitor their use. Keep a record of the monitoring you carry out. This can be done by using the Weekly Record (refer to the Records Section in this manual).

Corrective Action

If you find that your Pest Control House Rules are not being followed you must make a record of the problem identified and the action you have taken to correct it (this is known as a corrective action). This information can also be entered in the Weekly Record.

The training given in Pest Control should be recorded on the training record. An example of a training record can be found in the Training House Rules sub-section of this manual.

Action Plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update your Action Plan.

The Pest Control House Rules are an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your House Rules need to be written to accurately reflect how you run your business and be readily understood by all of your food handling staff.

Relevant HACCP Charts: All HACCP Charts

Why is waste control important?

Waste control is important because the storage and disposal of waste needs to be controlled carefully since waste presents a risk of physical contamination to food and may attract pests. Additionally, food that is damaged, out of date or rotting may present a risk of microbiological cross contamination from harmful bacteria.

How can waste be controlled?

Waste can be regarded as any item of food, ingredients, packaging materials or even soiled cleaning cloths which are not suitable for further use and which are intended to be discarded.

The following issues need to be considered when controlling waste :

Waste in Food Rooms

• food waste should be placed in containers with suitably fitted lids and removed frequently from food handling areas where it is produced
• sufficient containers should be provided and placed conveniently where the waste occurs. Containers must be of an appropriate construction, kept in sound condition, and be easy to clean and disinfect

Food Waste Awaiting Collection

• refuse containers used for the storage of waste awaiting collection should have a suitably fitted lid and be made of a durable material which is easy to clean and disinfect
• other waste such as cardboard and paper need not be placed in a sealed container but must be kept separate from food and must be stored in such a way as to not pose a risk of contamination to food
• refuse stores must be designed and managed in such a way as to enable them to be kept clean, and protected against access by pests. Refuse stores should, ideally, be located away from food storage and handling areas and must not give rise to the risk of contamination of food or drinking water
• food waste and other waste must be removed frequently from the food handling areas. Outdoor storage should be sited away from the main delivery entrance and must be kept clean and free from pests (refer to the Pest Control House Rules in this manual)

Sanitary Waste & Waste Disposal Units

• sanitary waste and waste disposal units should to be dealt with by competent personnel who are responsible for their correct disposal. All disposal units should be regularly cleaned to prevent offensive odours

What you need to do now

To effectively manage the Waste Control part of your HACCP based system and using the information in this sub-section for guidance, go to the next page and write a list of House Rules covering Waste Control for your business.

Here is an example of how you could write your House Rules:

Monitoring

Food waste containers, refuse waste bins and all waste storage areas should be inspected and the outcomes of the inspection recorded on your Cleaning Schedule.

Once you have completed your House Rules for Waste Control, you must then monitor their use. Keep a record of the monitoring you carry out. This can be done by using the Weekly Record. (refer to the Records Section in this manual)

Corrective Action

If you find that your Waste Control House Rules are not being followed, you must make a record of the problem you have identified and the action you have taken to correct it. This information can also be entered in the Weekly Record.

The training given in Waste Control should be recorded on the training record. An example of a training record can be found in the Training House Rules sub-section of this manual.

Action Plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update your Action Plan.

The Waste Control House Rules are an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your House Rules need to be written to accurately reflect how you run your business and be readily understood by all of your food handling staff.

Why is maintenance of the premises, equipment and utensils important?

Maintenance is important because lack of adequate maintenance of the structure of the premises, equipment and utensils can result in the following :

• pests may enter the premises and defective drains may also permit access (refer to the Pest Control House Rules in this manual)
• cleaning can become more difficult and may result in a build up of food debris (refer to the Cleaning House Rules in this manual)
• crockery, cutlery and containers may become badly worn, broken or unable to be effectively cleaned and disinfected
• some utensils and equipment such as glassware may present a risk of physical contamination when cracked or broken
• defective and poorly maintained equipment, fixtures and fittings can result in the physical contamination of food
• defective or poorly maintained equipment, such as refrigerators, freezers and cooking equipment could result in inadequate temperature control, which could, for example, in the case of cooking equipment, cause the failure to cook or reheat food to the correct temperature

What needs to be maintained?

Premises Structure

• all internal surfaces must be smooth, impervious, easy to clean and in a good state of repair
• to prevent the entry of pests, the floors, walls, roof, doors and window openings must be kept in a good state of repair with no gaps or spaces (refer to the Pest Control House Rules in this manual)
• maintaining the structure in good repair makes it easier to effectively clean the premises (refer to the Cleaning House Rules in this manual)
• ceilings in food preparation areas must be maintained to permit effective cleaning (refer to the
  Cleaning House Rules in this manual)
• drains should be kept free of leaks and blockages

Equipment

• all food contact surfaces, utensils and equipment must be maintained in good condition to enable effective cleaning and disinfection, and to prevent the build up of debris
• broken or defective light bulbs, tubes and fittings should be replaced promptly
• certain equipment may require to be serviced at regular intervals, for example, cooking equipment, refrigerators and freezers, dishwashers and ventilation systems/ducting. It is recommended that records of servicing be kept as part of your HACCP based system documentation.

What you need to do now

To effectively manage the Maintenance part of your HACCP based system and using the information in this sub-section for guidance, go to the next page and write a list of House Rules covering Maintenance in your business.

Here is an example of how you could write your House Rules:

Monitoring

Once you have completed your House Rules for Maintenance, you must then monitor their use. Keep a record of the monitoring you carry out. This can be done by using the Weekly Record (refer to the Records Section in this manual).

Corrective Action

If you find that your Maintenance House Rules are not being followed, you must make a record of the problem identified and the action you have taken to correct it. This information can also be entered in the Weekly Record.
The training given in Maintenance should be recorded on the training record. An example of a training record can be found in the Training House Rules sub-section of this manual.

Action Plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update your Action Plan.

The Maintenance House Rules are an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your House Rules need to be written to accurately reflect how you run your business and be readily understood by all of your food handling staff.

Relevant HACCP Charts: Purchase, Storage, Preparation, Hot Holding, Cooling, Service

Why is Stock Control important?

Stock control is important because if high risk food is kept too long, even under favourable conditions, harmful bacteria may multiply. Additionally, even foods with a longer shelf life, whether dried, canned or frozen, may deteriorate if they are kept for too long. Food which is being stored may also become contaminated by food handlers, pests and the catering environment.

What is Stock Control?

Stock control is a term used to describe the measures taken to ensure that food is not kept beyond its shelf life. In this manual, it also refers to measures taken to prevent certain types of contamination especially during storage, defrosting, hot holding, service and transportation.

What Stock Control measures could be used?

• incoming food should not be accepted if its packaging is seriously damaged exposing the product to the risk of contamination or if the food is obviously contaminated
• incoming food must not be accepted if its ‘use by’ date has expired
• in terms of good practice, you may also wish to consider rejecting stock beyond its ‘best before’ date
• stored food must not be used if its ‘use by’ date has expired
• high risk food which has been removed from its packaging should be re-labelled with a new suitable ‘use by’ date, based on manufacturer’s instructions
• high risk foods prepared on the premises and then stored for later use should be labelled with an appropriate ‘use by’ date
• stock should be rotated on a first-in-first-out basis and damaged stock removed from the main storage area
• dried food should be stored in large waterproof containers and should not be topped up with new stock. Ensure that the existing food is used first
• keep food that can cause allergic reaction separate from other foods. It is vital not to lose the product description and traceability following unpacking, decanting and storage. (refer to the Cross Contamination Prevention House Rules)

What food protection measures can be used?

• food being stored, defrosted, held hot, displayed or transported must be protected from contamination. This may be achieved by the use of suitable containers or packaging
• food on display should be protected as far as practicable, for example, by the use of sneeze guards and/or covers 

What you need to do now

To effectively manage the Stock Control part of your HACCP based system, using the information in this sub-section for guidance, go to the next page and write a list of House Rules covering Stock Control for your business.

Here is an example of how you could write your House Rules:

Monitoring

Once you have completed your House Rules for Stock Control, you must then monitor their use. Keep a record of the monitoring you carry out. This can be done by using the Weekly Record (refer to Records Section in this manual).

Corrective Action

If you find that your Stock Control House Rules are not being followed, you must make a record of the problem you have identified and the action you have taken to correct it. This information can also be entered in the Weekly Record.

The training given in Stock Control should be recorded on the training record. An example of a training record can be found in the Training House Rules sub-section of this manual.

Action Plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update your Action Plan.

The Stock Control House Rules are an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your House Rules need to be written to accurately reflect how you run your business and be readily understood by all of your food handling staff.

Relevant HACCP charts: All HACCP Charts

What is an Allergen?

A food allergy is when the body’s immune system reacts unusually to specific foods. The food that the body reacts to is known as the allergen. Most allergic reactions to food are mild, but some can be very serious and in some cases fatal. The only way people can deal with a food allergy is to avoid the foods that make them ill.

Customers may have an allergy to any type of food. To ensure you can provide safe food and drinks you must have the correct controls in place to identify ingredients, produce safe food and communicate this information to your customers.

There are 14 major allergens which need to be mentioned (either on a label or through provided information such as menus) when they are used as ingredients in food. Under current legislation on the provision of food information to consumers (Retained Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011) and Food Information (Scotland) Regulations 2014, the duty is on food business owners to ensure that all mandatory allergen information (relating to the 14 allergens) is accurate, available and easily accessible to the consumer.

What is a Food Intolerance?

Food intolerances are more common and are caused by the body being unable to digest certain substances e.g. lactose. They are not the same as food allergies, as most do not involve the immune system.

Food intolerances can make someone feel very ill and affect their long-term health. You will usually feel the symptoms of a food intolerance slower than a food allergy, and sometimes it may not be felt until a few hours after you have eaten the food. Symptoms can last for hours, even into the next day.

Why is it important to manage allergens?

You as a food business operator have a legal responsibility to produce safe food, provide allergen information and follow labelling rules to ensure the food and drinks you produce do not cause harm to the consumer.

This means that food business operators must:

• provide allergen information to the consumer for both prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink
• Note:- drink includes all drinks that are sold from the premises e.g. smoothies, juices, cocktails, etc
• handle and manage food and drink allergens effectively during preparation

Food businesses must make sure that their staff are trained in allergens and are familiar and competent in the businesses procedures and practices to ensure the safe management of allergens in all areas of the business.

Low Gluten & Gluten Free

If you intend to produce any gluten free products you must consider the following:-

Current legislation has set levels of gluten for foods that claim to be either 'gluten-free' or 'very low gluten'. These levels are:

• 'gluten-free' – 20 mg/kg of gluten.
• 'very low gluten' – 100 mg/kg of gluten. However, only foods with cereal ingredients that have been specially processed to remove the gluten may make a 'very low gluten' claim.

These regulations apply to all foods – pre-packed or sold loose, such as in health food stores or in catering establishments.
Food Businesses can only use the phrase ‘gluten-free’ if they can demonstrate that, when tested, their product is 20 parts or less of gluten per million. They will also be required to demonstrate that any products claiming to be 'very low gluten' comply to the legislation.

Producing foods with no deliberate gluten-containing ingredients which are produced in areas where there is a high risk of gluten cross-contamination, cannot be labelled as ‘gluten-free’ or ‘very low gluten’.

For example, within a small bakery/domestic kitchen using flour that contains gluten it would be very difficult to produce gluten free products due to the possible contamination by flour dust in the air.

How can I comply with allergen requirements?

To comply with allergen food law, food businesses must have a good understanding of their ingredients, processes and products in order to correctly identify and manage allergens. This will help food businesses train staff and communicate with their customers.

Allergen management can easily be done in four steps:

1. Identify allergens in your business
2. Manage allergen risk
3. Train your staff
4. Communicate with customers

Below are free tools available to support food businesses with allergen management; 

Online Allergen Training

To help you and your staff with allergen awareness consider incorporating this training into your staff training programme. It has been developed by Food Standards Scotland to help bring greater awareness about allergens in manufacturing and catering settings.

MenuCal

MenuCal is a free to use online tool that is designed to help food businesses comply with legal requirements to manage and record allergen information. The free tool can also be used to calculate the amount of energy found within the foods you are producing. MenuCal helps you comply with the law by helping you to identify, manage and communicate allergen information for food and drink on your menu.

Step 1: Identify allergens in you business

As a food business you have a basic legal responsibility to have a food safety management system based upon the HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) Principles. This CookSafe document forms part of your Food Safety Management System. Food allergens must be considered as a hazard in the food and drinks that you produce, therefore they should be a key consideration in your Food Safety Management System.

Remember, allergens are a hazard in all areas of your business not just the kitchen. Drinks that you make at the bar (coffees, teas, cocktails etc) can all contain allergens and should be considered in your Food Safety Management System.

Identifying Allergens in your Food and Drinks

Buying and Receiving Foods & Drinks

• When buying ingredients, foods and drinks, the supplier must provide you with all necessary ingredient and allergen information. Where foods are not labelled it should be provided in the accompanying paperwork.
• When you receive deliveries, the foods you have received should match what you ordered. Check if there have been any substitutions or any different brands included. Different brands of products may have different ingredients and therefore different allergens. This is also true for other suppliers, as their products may contain different ingredients and allergens.
• Any substitution or change in ingredients must be recorded with ingredient and allergen information reviewed and updated accordingly.
• It is good practice to check the condition of the packaging of any goods you receive. This way you can ensure that none of the packaging is damaged which could potentially contaminate foods with other allergens.

Standard Recipes 

• The easiest way for you to identify allergens within your business is to create and follow standard recipes. If you use a standard recipe the food will be made with the same brand and/or allergens every time you or your staff make it.
• By following standard recipes you can easily identify the allergens used within a dish and provide correct and consistent information including any ‘may contain’ information that is included on the labels of the foods you use
• If you use non-standard recipes (daily/weekly specials) you should have a system in place to ensure that you can identify all ingredients and any allergens within the dish/product and communicate this to your staff and customers
• Here is a standard recipe template which may be helpful with recording recipes, or alternatively the Menucal tool can be used to record recipes and manage allergen information.

How do I manage the allergen risk?

This can be done by adapting the following guidance for your business.

Deliveries and Labels

• when receiving ingredients, foods and drinks the supplier must provide you with all necessary ingredient and allergen information. Where foods are not labelled it should be provided in the accompanying paper work.
• check that the food delivered matches your order – if it does not match, check the ingredient list and allergen information of the replacement product then update your records when you start using the new ingredient.
• you should not accept a delivery unless you are fully confident you have all the required correct information.
• make sure that you keep all receipts and invoices for a reasonable period of time to ensure traceability. By having this system in place if there is an issue with a product it should be easily identified and traced.
• check that packaging is not damaged to ensure there has been no cross contamination.
• it is good practice to have a frequent review of regularly used ingredients, foods and drinks for ingredient and recipe changes. – any changes should be documented and recorded

Standard Recipes

• following standardised recipes for foods and drinks ensures that all dishes produced are essentially the same every time.
• when a non-standard recipes (e.g. daily/weekly specials) is used there should be a system in place to ensure that all ingredients and any allergens are identified and recorded. 
• if you choose a new brand or a new supplier, you must check to see if these changes contain additional or different allergens than previous brands or suppliers you used. – ensure you have a method for logging the end of one batch and the start of a new batch with the new ingredient 
• where there are substitutions made as a result of low stock or special requests, food businesses should have a system in place to record and communicate changes to all staff and relevant customers. 
• it is good practice to have a frequent reviews of your recipes.

Storage

• food businesses must have procedures in place for safely storing food, particularly allergen containing foods and drinks to minimise cross contamination – this includes within chilled and frozen storage
• foods that contain allergens in powdered form such as milk powder or flour should be stored in air-tight containers
• where foods are decanted into containers, ensure the containers are clearly labelled with exactly what food they contain as well as any ingredients and any allergens.

Cross-Contamination

• allergens can easily pass from one food to another or from surfaces/equipment to food. This can occur when foods are prepared on the same surfaces or when allergen free foods are prepared close to allergen containing dishes (e.g. flour dust, splashing).
• where possible, allergen free dishes could be produced at the start of a shift
• thoroughly clean all equipment, utensils and worktops before preparing allergen-free food, or use separate equipment.
• handling foods — Always wash your hands thoroughly before preparing allergen-free food.
• after preparing an allergen-free meal, keep it covered, keep it labelled and deliver it separately to the customer.
• put in place steps to prevent cross contamination between foods that contain allergens and those foods that do not. Remember! Minute traces of foods which contain allergens can get into other foods and cause a reaction.

Cleaning and Disinfection

• be aware that any allergen residues are enough to cause an allergic reaction. Allergen residues can be found anywhere that has had contact with allergens as well as anywhere dust, crumbs and food may accumulate.
• you must ensure that you carry out effective cleaning and disinfection practices on equipment and surfaces.
• surfaces can be cleaned using the 2 stage clean and disinfection (See Cleaning House Rule) method
• utensils can be cleaned in the same way or with a dishwasher capable of providing adequate disinfection (See Cleaning House Rule).
• larger complex pieces of equipment may have to be broken down to be cleaned and disinfected. Whereas some other equipment may not be able to be cleaned to the same extent e.g. vacuum packer, deep fat fryer, slicers etc. there must be procedures in place for managing allergens e.g. separate allergen-designated equipment.
• before preparation of any allergen free foods and drinks, the surface, any utensils and equipment must be cleaned and disinfected.

Specific Rules for the Preparation of Food & Drinks for an allergy sufferer

Whenever preparing or serving food for an allergy sufferer always:

• where possible use a separate work surface/ area to prepare allergen free food or drink. Where this is not possible ensure through cleaning and disinfection of preparation area and equipment is practical
• clean and disinfect the work surfaces before and after preparing foods
• clean and disinfect equipment and utensils before preparing any allergen free dishes
• not all equipment can be properly cleaned, e.g. deep fat fryers, vacuum packers etc. These types of equipment cannot be used for both allergen free foods and allergen containing foods
• wash your hands thoroughly. Where gloves are used, ensure that these are changed before preparing an allergen free order
• do not cook allergen free food in oil in which you have cooked other foods
• do not remove allergenic ingredients, such as nuts, from a prepared dish and call it allergy-free because residues of the allergenic ingredient may remain in the dish and may still cause a reaction
• when displaying food and drinks in buffets or display cabinets, always lay them out in a way that will minimise the risk of allergen-free food being contaminated with ingredients from another dish and provide separate serving utensils
• consider garnishes & accompaniments. – do these contain allergens that need to be considered? e.g. swirl of crème fraiche on soup, croutons, garnishes on cocktails, toppings on desserts etc

Take Away and Delivery

• when receiving any orders via the phone, it is good practice to ensure that the member of staff asks if the customer has any allergies
• if you use online menus/ordering you should signpost that customers should make you aware of any allergies
• you must ensure that your online menus are frequently reviewed and kept up to date
• it is good practice that food being delivered that is allergen free should be labelled as such and should be packaged separately and away from any foods that contain the allergen, ideally in its own bag to avoid cross contamination
• Food Business Operators selling non-prepacked food (this includes prepacked for direct sale food) through distance selling (e.g. such as food businesses which offer purchase through telephone/ internet) must ensure that mandatory allergen information is available to the consumer (for free):
  • before the purchase is concluded; and
  • at the moment of delivery

Step 3: Training your staff

All staff should get basic training in food allergen management before they first start work and receive regular refresher training. All training carried out should be accurately documented and recorded. All staff should be trained to handle any customer allergen queries and understand the potential severity of not handling allergens and allergen information correctly.

Make sure that all staff understand that they should never guess whether or not an allergen ispresent in a food. They should ask someone who knows. Always be honest with the customer. If you do not know, admit it!

In order to help you with training your members of staff and understanding allergens, you can visit the Allergen Training Tools.

Below are some points to consider when developing training for staff members:-

Step 4: Communicating with your customers

Let your customers know that you would be happy to discuss their requirements with them. For example, highlighting on the menu or chalkboard that customers should ask staff for further information if they have any concerns about allergens. You should also display a poster that explains to customers to raise it with staff if they have an allergy i.e. ‘if you have a food allergy please inform a member of staff’

Where possible, design your menu to ensure names and descriptions of dishes reflect potential allergenic ingredients, for example, “strawberry  mousse  with  almond  shortbread” or “satay sauce made with peanuts” or Marinades e.g chicken marinaded in buttermilk.

Communication with customers

• time of booking – ask if any members of the party have any allergies – if yes take a note of this and ensure that upon arrival all staff members are reminded
• taking orders – ask if any members of the party have any allergies
• taking orders - If you are asked any queries about a dish do not guess the answer but talk so someone who does know the answer such as a manager or chef to find out allergenic ingredients
• delivery to table – ensure that the allergen free dish is taken to the table separately & make sure you wash your hands if you have handled other plates or foods
• staff communication – tell all staff when a customer has an allergy, this includes any change of shift staff. If you are asked any queries do not guess the answer but talk to someone who does know the answer such as a manager or chef to find out allergenic ingredients
• buffets – where customers can help themselves and there is no opportunity for discussion with staff – each of the foods in the buffet should be labelled to show any allergenic ingredients with separate utensils to decant the foods

How to provide allergen information

There are a number of ways in which allergen information can be provided to your customers. How you provide allergen information will be determined by the way in which you provide your customers with food and drinks e.g. packages, non-prepacked or prepacked for direct sale.

Different allergen labelling rules apply depending on how the food is provided.

May Contain Statements

The use of precautionary allergen labelling to communicate the risk of the unintentional presence of an allergen (e.g. milk, egg, peanuts, almonds) in a food product due to the allergen entering the product accidentally, or through cross contamination, can be done on a voluntary basis. Such statements include ‘produced in a kitchen which uses…’ or ‘may contain’ or ‘not suitable for…’. These statements should only be used after a meaningful risk assessment has been performed by your business and there is considered to be a significant and real risk to the food allergic or food intolerant consumer and cross contamination cannot be avoided or discounted. If you choose to use voluntary labelling it must not mislead the consumer, must not be ambiguous or confusing, and where appropriate be based upon scientific data.

These statements should not be used as a substitute for good hygiene and safety practices. The use of precautionary allergen labelling when there is not a real risk could be considered to be misleading food information. Undertaking a risk assessment should help you identify risks that you can remove, perhaps by identifying and preventing opportunities for cross contamination to occur.

Managing an allergic reaction emergency

It may never be something you encounter but you and all staff should be prepared in case there is a customer who has a severe allergic reaction or suffers from anaphylaxis. You do not need to be an expert if this situation happens but you can act and make a difference.

When  an  allergic reaction  starts it can worsen very quickly therefore quick reactions are important.  If possible staff should have first aid training that incorporates what to do in an allergic reaction situation.

Allergic Reaction – What to do?1

Anaphylaxis - Illnesses & conditions | NHS inform

Allergic reaction:- Internal process review

If a member of the public takes an allergic reaction to your food you must carry out a review of your allergen procedures. This will include:

• reviewing how you identify allergens
• reviewing how you manage allergens
• reviewing how staff are trained in allergen management
• reviewing communication methods between staff member and customers

If the food is still available, it is good practice to seal, label and store it in case an external investigation is carried out e.g. Environmental Health.

It is good practice to record any such incidents to allow you to identify issues in your procedures.

To effectively manage allergens in your food business, carefully read the information in part 1 and part 2 below, then go to the next two pages and Allergen Management House Rules and Menucal Template.

Part 1: Recording and presentation of allergens

Refer to the allergen information and then you can create standard recipes so that you can identify all allergens within the foods and drinks you both buy and sell.

Part 2: Allergen management house rules

Refer to the guidance provided in Steps 2, 3 and 4 on the previous pages, then go to the end of this section and write a list of House Rules covering allergen management for your business.

Here is an example of how you could write your house rules:

Monitoring

Once you have completed your House Rules for Allergen Management, you must then monitor them in use. Keep a record of the monitoring that you carry out. This can be done by using the Weekly Record.

Corrective Action

If you find that your Allergen Management House Rules are not being followed, you must make a record of the problem you have identified and the action you have taken to correct it. This information can also be entered in the Weekly Record.
Training given in Allergen Management should be recorded on the training record. An example of a training record can be found in the Training House Rules sub-section of this manual.

Action Plan

Once you have completed all your House Rules, remember to update your Action Plan.

The Allergen Management House Rules are an essential component of your HACCP based system and must be kept up to date at all times. Your House Rules need to be written to accurately reflect how you run your business and be readily understood by all food handling staff.

What is acrylamide?

It is important not to over-cook certain foods. Over-cooking or burning certain foods means that these foods can be higher in acrylamide. Acrylamide is a chemical that is formed naturally when some foods; containing asparagine (an amino acid) and 

sugars; are cooked at high temperatures (above 120⁰C) such as by frying, roasting, baking, grilling and toasting.

Legislation is in place to reduce acrylamide levels in food, as it is a probable carcinogen in humans. 

What foods?

If you cook the following types of foods, you should put in place practical steps to reduce acrylamide.

• Potato products such as chips, French fries, other deep cut (deep-fried) and sliced potato crisps, including potatoes that are deep fried and finished in the oven.
• Bread products such as loaves, bread rolls and baguettes, toast and toasted sandwiches.
• Sweet bakery products such as cookies, biscuits, scones, gingerbread, wafers, crumpets.
• Savoury bakery products such as crackers, crisp bread, breadsticks.
• Fried products such as doughnuts, fried bread, battered products.

The tables below advise on what to do when purchasing, receipting and storing these types of products.

The tables below advise on what to do when preparing these types of products.

The tables below advise on what to do when cooking these types of products.

Cook foods to a golden yellow, or lighter colour. Manufacturers will have designed cooking methods best suited to their products.

Colour charts

Some suppliers have produced colour charts to show what colour is the best for certain foods to keep acrylamide levels low. You can ask if your supplier has these available. You do not have to use colour charts, but they can be useful for training your staff.

Colour charts for fries can be found here and for rolls here.

What to do if things go wrong?

• dispose of foods that are over-cooked or burnt

How to stop this happening?

• review your cooking method
• lower the cooking temperature or use different equipment.
• train staff again on this safe method
• improve staff supervision
• repair or replace equipment that is broken or defective
• write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary