SFBB: A basic food safety management system that is combined of two halves. The first half contains four key sections titled:

• Cross contamination

• Cleaning

• Chilling

• Cooking

Each section contains a series of safe method sheets detailing the basic food safety information and enabling the recording of some basic information to confirm the business’s food safety practices and procedures. Users are required to work through and complete each of the relevant safe methods sheets by hand. It also contains a diary where users can record anything different that happens including anything that goes wrong.

SMS: The NCASS Safety Management System is comprised of the following distinct sections in a single versatile folder system:

The Compliance Manual – a bound book that contains compliance/educational information, outlining everything needed to run a food business safely and in
a legally compliant manner. It is set out in 3 distinct sections to reflect Food Safety, Health & Safety and Fire Safety.

Policies and Risk Assessments – a dedicated section for storing completed policies and risk assessments. Templates for food safety processes and a range of relevant Health & Safety and Fire Safety topics are available within an online risk assessment tool via the member dashboard. Implementation of risk assessments are essential to enable legal compliance, safe work practices and to achieving a good food hygiene rating score.

Daily Diary – incorporates all the relevant monitoring checks into one place e.g., opening and closing checks, temperature checks in order to evidence how key controls are being properly implemented. Records can be taken out and added back into the folder for easy reference and use.

Additional Resources – access to numerous useful template documents including an allergen matrix, cleaning schedule, suppliers list, gas and electrical safety checklists etc. All stored together in a dedicated section of the SMS for easy reference.

SFBB: Designed as a generic system for small food businesses. There are relevant SFBB packs for caterers, retailers, childminders and residential care homes..

SMS: It’s versatile and has been designed for mobile and fixed site food premises.

Our expertise is in street food and mobile catering so there are elements of this information that will not be found anywhere else, but our system can also be applied to fixed site catering.

SFBB: It is free to download from the FSA website. It accounts for approx. 100 pages plus the user will need sufficient diary sheets to cover every day of trading, all of which must be printed.

It will therefore require access to a printer, plus all the pages will need to be hole-punched and organised into a ring binder folder for storage otherwise there will soon be pages all over the place.

It is possible to buy printed and bound copies from some online suppliers.

SMS: The SMS, access to the risk assessment tools on the member dashboard and the additional member resources, are all part of NCASS membership.

Members get access to the system as soon as they start their membership.

The SMS is all contained within a single hard-wearing ring binder. No printing or hole punching is required.
It is sent out to members in the post and is immediately ready to use, straight out of the box.

NCASS members have immediate access to the online member dashboard where they can create a business profile, use the risk assessment tools and store important compliance documents e.g., insurance/gas/electrical certificates.

NCASS can also print the completed policies and risk assessments for the member and send them in the post. So, if they don’t have a printer there is no need to worry!

 To discuss NCASS membership call our friendly and supportive Membership Team on 0300 124 6866 or go online to www.ncass.org.uk for more information.

SFBB: A series of safe method sheets that contain some basic information on food safety; outlined as:

• Safety points
• Some brief information on why this should be done
• The provision of limited space (white boxes) to be completed by the user with information on their site-specific food safety arrangements

It is basically a checklist that food business operators can work though to obtain a record of what they do to make sure food is safe to eat.

SFBB has been recognised by UK and EU Food safety authorities as meeting minimal legal requirements.

Whilst the system allows FBOs to understand general food safety issues and controls it is limited in its ability to fully address more complicated arrangements.

Example of safe method sheet:

SMS: A comprehensive risk assessment tool based on the principles of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) as required by the food safety regulations. Members can log into the tool via the online member dashboard to create a process flow of the relevant
food safety procedures that apply to their business e.g., cooking, hot holding, defrosting etc.

This will then automatically create the risk assessment tables outlining the general food safety controls, monitoring and corrective action procedures relevant to each step in the food process.

The process is simple, straightforward, and designed to guide the member through the steps whilst providing a clear understanding of the legal responsibilities etc. It produces a professional looking detailed assessment that if properly implemented by the business will support the inspection process and ultimately be reflected in the food hygiene rating score awarded to the business.

The content of the assessments is Primary Authority assured so by following the process correctly a business can be confident their documentation is accurate. There is less guess work than there would be if the business was trying to manually complete an alternative assessment.

During routine inspections and spot checks, the Environmental Health Officer (EHO) who visits the business will be able to easily review the risk assessments as they can be stored in the easy to find dedicated section within the SMS folder.

SFBB: There is a designated safe method for food allergens included within the SFBB pack. It is brief and covers the general principles of allergen management.

The FSA offers a free online allergen training course which is targeted at all types of food businesses. Sections of this course are relevant to food manufactures and may not be entirely relevant to small independent caterers.

The FSA have made some useful resources available on their website to download and complete electronically including:

• Dishes and allergen content menu chart (allergen matrix)
• Allergy and intolerance sign
• Chefs recipe sheet for allergens

SFBB: There aren’t any specific online training courses to accompany SFBB. The user will need to use the contents of the SFBB pack to train their staff on food safety procedures. They will then need to fill in the training record sheet that is included, confirming that staff have been trained in each relevant safe method.

They will have to arrange and source training courses from wherever they can locate them. Most local authorities no longer provide food hygiene training so training must usually be sourced from online providers where the training content can sometimes be inconsistent and poor quality.

SFBB: Users of SFBB must undertake their own updates and they are responsible for checking if there have been any updates to SFBB and to add in the updated information to ensure the pack remains up to date. For example, the most recent updates have been in relation to the safe method for food allergens.

Failure to update the SFBB could mean they are missing key safety controls from their overall food safety management system. This could impact their compliance and subsequently lower the business’s food hygiene rating score.

There isn’t an email notification system to notify the users of SFBB of changes. In most cases users won’t know there has been an update or that there are new regulatory requirements or guidance until they are made aware by the EHO during their routine inspection.

Businesses will need to review the pack at least every 12 months but also when there are any changes to the business. In this case the safe methods will have to be amended by hand. Sometimes this requires the user to
download a whole new pack in order to be able to make the changes.

SMS: NCASS will always update members on any changes or updates. If there are updates to the SMS, then we will automatically make members aware and send them the relevant pages to replace.

We are constantly reviewing our resources to make sure they are up to date and are always liaising with central authorities about planned regulatory changes, and important matters that are in the pipeline, so we can keep our members ahead of the curve and up to date.

The online risk assessments and additional resource records can be updated and amended online whenever necessary – keeping the records looking neat and professional. For example, the allergen matrix can be updated and saved online, as opposed to starting from scratch each time there are changes or making numerous corrections on a paper format.

SFBB: SFBB is only about food safety. There is no Health & Safety guidance included within SFBB. The user must complete their own H&S policy and risk assessments from scratch to ensure compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and associated regulations and to ensure the business has adequate due diligence in place.

SMS: The H&S section of the SMS will support members with providing a safe workplace and environment for staff and customers as well as complying with the legal requirements. Members will have access to:

A template H&S policy – required by law and intended to outline the business’s arrangements to manage H&S.

A COSHH assessment tool – to identify any hazardous substances in use and how the risks will be controlled.

A H&S risk assessment tool – to produce risk assessments that are relevant to the catering industry including manual handling, violence at work, slips, trips and falls etc.

The controls are already included for the member to review and implement so they don’t have to be an expert in H&S matters or risk assessments. They just need diligence and commitment to implement them within their business. For this they will be rewarded with a safe and legally compliant business that customers will support and return to.