Food Safety Management Systems
From 1 January 2006 new food hygiene regulations were introduced in
the United Kingdom. These regulations added a new
requirement for all food businesses to put in place Food Safety
Management Systems (FSMS) based on the principles of Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
In practice, this means that food businesses must have suitable
procedures in place to manage food safety "hazards" which may be
present due to the type of food production being carried out.
These procedures were required by previous regulations , but
they must now be written down, updated when necessary, and be
supported by records to show that regular checks are made to
ensure they are maintained at all times.
The regulations are designed to be flexible , so these procedures
can be in proportion to the size and nature of the business
concerned, meaning that many small businesses will be able to have
very simple procedures and a minimum amount of records to be
kept.
In order to assist food business operators in Perth and
Kinross the officers of the Food Safety Division provide
personalised guidance on appropriate management procedures during
routine inspections.
