The food safety regulations you need to know about
As a business which serves or sells food to the public, or which has any involvement in food production or packaging, there are a few key pieces of government legislation that you must adhere to.
The main food safety regulations you need to know about are as follows:
The Food Standards Act 1999
Whilst this Act does not necessarily affect the day-to-day running of your business, it is important to know about it because it helped to form the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and it also underpins a lot of the other food hygiene legislation which food businesses have to adhere to.
The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006
These Regulations are amongst the newest pieces of legislation affecting food businesses. It brings in a number of new changes, including the requirement for businesses to register with their local councils, to ensure that all staff members undergo the proper food safety awareness training and to take measures to control pests. The most important change is that businesses are now required to have a written food safety management system in place which is based on the system of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).