Food safety for businesses

The law also places an obligation on businesses to ensure activities are carried out in a hygienic way.

It is against the law to:

• sell (or keep for sale) food that is unfit for people to eat
• cause food to be dangerous to health
• sell food that isn’t what the customer is entitled to expect in terms of content or quality
• describe or present food in a way that is false or misleading

It is your responsibility to check what you need to do to comply with the law.  If you don’t, we can take legal action.

Food safety management system

Every food business has different risks, depending on the type of food being prepared and the way it is produced and handled.

You must make sure that:

• you have a written food safety management plan in place for your business  
• this plan must show what food safety measures you have put in place and how you maintain them
• Your plan should be based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points as outlined on the Food Standard Agency food safety website

Food safety advice service in the Scarborough area

We offer a food service advice service for start-up businesses and newly registered food businesses in the Scarborough area, to maintain or improve their food hygiene rating.

Our food hygiene and safety advice service costs a flat rate of £150 (including VAT) for on-site advice meetings.

For more information on this service, complete our food safety advice request form.

Food safety advice request form

Further information

You can get more information, safety tips and hygiene advice on the Food Standards Agency website.

The Safer food, better business (SFBB) website has information to help smaller food businesses put in place food safety management procedures and comply with food hygiene regulations.

Read our food safety pack for home bakers to ensure that you meet all the legal requirements if you regularly provide food to friends or members of the public.