Blog
Food safety insights, HACCP guidance, and compliance tips for small UK food producers.
Writing Product Specifications: What to Include and Why Buyers Ask for Them
What a food product specification is, what to include in one, and why retail and trade buyers ask for them. A practical template guide for small UK food producers.
Personal Hygiene Rules for Food Handlers: A Practical Guide
The personal hygiene rules every food handler in the UK needs to follow. Handwashing, clothing, illness reporting, jewellery, and the policies a small food business should have documented.
Internal Audits: How to Check Your Own Food Safety System
How to run an internal audit of your own food safety system. What to check, how often, how to act on what you find, and why checking yourself is the best way to stay audit-ready and improve.
Food Safety for Tea, Coffee and Dry Goods Producers
A food safety and HACCP guide for small UK producers of tea, coffee, spices, and other dry goods. Why low-moisture products are lower risk, the hazards that still apply, and how to build a proportionate plan.
Vacuum Packing and Food Safety: The Botulism Risk Every Producer Must Understand
Why vacuum packing and modified atmosphere packing carry a serious food safety risk, what Clostridium botulinum is, the controls you need, and the guidance UK producers must follow.
Cross-Contamination: How to Prevent It in a Small Food Business
A practical guide to preventing cross-contamination in a small UK food business. The types of cross-contamination, separation in space and time, and the controls that protect your customers and your hygiene rating.
Selling Food Online: Distance Selling and Allergen Rules for UK Producers
What UK food producers need to know about selling food online. Registration, distance selling allergen rules, labelling, and keeping food safe in transit when selling through your website or social media.
Food Safety for Chilled and Ready-to-Eat Producers
A food safety and HACCP guide for small UK producers of chilled and ready-to-eat foods. Why these are the highest-risk products, where your controls must be tightest, and how to build a plan that protects your customers.
The 14 Allergens: A Complete Reference for UK Food Producers
A complete reference to the 14 allergens that must be declared under UK law. What each one covers, where it hides, and how to declare it correctly on prepacked and PPDS food.
Pest Control for Food Businesses: What the Law Requires and What EHOs Check
A practical guide to pest control for small UK food producers. Your legal duties, prevention through proofing and housekeeping, monitoring, documentation, and exactly what an Environmental Health Officer looks for.
Running a Food Business From Home: What's Actually Allowed in the UK
Can you run a food business from your home kitchen in the UK? Yes. Here's what's actually allowed, what you need to do, and how to make a domestic kitchen work for a registered food business.
Food Safety for Drinks Producers: Gin, Beer and Soft Drinks
A food safety and HACCP guide for small UK drinks producers, from distillers and brewers to soft drink makers. The hazards that apply, where they differ by product, and how to build a plan that fits.
Use By vs Best Before: How to Date-Mark Your Products Correctly
The difference between use by and best before dates, when to use each, and how to display date marks legally on your food products. A clear guide for small UK food producers.
Cleaning Schedules for Food Businesses: How to Build One That Passes Inspection
How to build a documented cleaning schedule for a small UK food business. What to include, how often to clean each area, the difference between cleaning and disinfecting, and what an EHO checks.
Selling Food at Markets and Events: The Rules You Need to Know
What you need to legally sell food at markets, fairs, and events in the UK. Registration, allergen information, temperature control, and the practical food safety rules for mobile and temporary stalls.
HACCP for Bakeries: A Practical Guide for Small UK Bakers
A practical HACCP guide for small UK bakeries. The hazards specific to baking, where your critical control points are likely to be, allergen challenges, and how to build a plan that fits how you actually bake.
SALSA Issue 7: What Has Changed and What Auditors Will Check From 1 September
SALSA Issue 7 is live and all audits run against it from 1 September 2026, with no transition period. Here is what has changed and how to prepare.
How to Set the Shelf Life of Your Food Product (Without a Lab Bill You Can't Afford)
A practical guide to setting and validating the shelf life of your food product in the UK. The factors that determine shelf life, the types of study, when you need lab testing, and how to document it.
Prerequisite Programmes Explained: The Foundations Your HACCP Plan Sits On
What prerequisite programmes are, why your HACCP plan depends on them, and the core PRPs every small UK food producer needs. A plain-English guide to the foundations of food safety.
Food Safety Compliance Score: How to Measure and Improve Your Audit Readiness
How to measure how audit-ready your food business really is, the key indicators of compliance health, and a practical approach to improving your readiness before an auditor or EHO ever arrives.
HACCP Record Keeping: What Auditors Actually Want to See
What HACCP records you need to keep, how long to keep them, and the format auditors prefer. A practical guide for small UK food producers on building records that prove control rather than just filling files.
From Kitchen to Retail: How Small Food Producers Can Supply Supermarkets
A practical roadmap for small UK food producers who want to get their product onto retail shelves. What buyers expect, the compliance you need, and how to scale from kitchen to retail without falling at the first hurdle.
Supplier Approval and Management: A Guide for Small UK Food Producers
How to set up an approved supplier register, what to check before approving a supplier, how often to review them, and how to keep certificates current. A practical guide for small UK food producers.
What Happens After You Fail a SALSA Audit? (And How to Fix It)
A reassuring, practical guide to SALSA non-conformances. What they mean, how the correction process works, what to do when you get findings, and how to stop the same issues coming back next year.
How to Update Your HACCP Plan When Your Products Change
Your HACCP plan is a living document. A practical guide to when and how small UK producers should update it, what triggers a review, and how to keep it audit-ready without paying a consultant every time.
How Much Does Food Safety Compliance Actually Cost a Small Business?
An honest breakdown of what food safety compliance costs a small UK food producer. Registration, training, equipment, HACCP, certification, and records, with the real numbers and where you can save.
Going Paperless: How to Switch Your Food Safety Records from Paper to Digital
A practical migration guide for small UK food producers moving from paper to digital food safety records. The real benefits, the common fears addressed, and how to make the switch without losing your history.
How to Get Your Food Business Ready for a SALSA Audit in 30 Days
A structured four-week plan to prepare for your SALSA audit. What to do each week, in what order, so you arrive at audit day organised and confident rather than scrambling at the last minute.
Can AI Build a HACCP Plan? What Small Producers Need to Know
A straight answer on whether AI can build a HACCP plan you can trust. The difference between AI-generated templates and a deterministic system, and what to look for if you're considering an AI tool for food safety.
Food Labelling Requirements UK: What Every Small Producer Must Include
A clear guide to UK food labelling law for small producers. The mandatory information every prepacked label must carry, how to declare allergens, Natasha's Law, and the rules that catch new producers out.
How to Handle an EHO Inspection: What Small Food Businesses Need to Know
What to expect from an Environmental Health Officer inspection, what they look at, how the scoring works, and how to be ready every day so an unannounced visit holds no fear. A practical guide for small UK food producers.
What Documents Do You Need for SALSA Certification?
The complete list of documents and records you need for SALSA certification, organised by area. What each one is for, what good looks like, and how to have everything ready before your auditor arrives.
Critical Control Points Explained: How to Determine Your CCPs
How to identify critical control points in your food production using the Codex decision tree. CCPs explained with real examples, plus the difference between a CCP and a prerequisite programme.
Setting Up a Commercial Kitchen: Food Safety Requirements You Need to Know
What food safety rules actually apply when you set up a commercial or home kitchen for a food business in the UK. Layout, surfaces, handwashing, storage, and the things small producers most often get wrong.
Food Traceability: How to Track Ingredients From Supplier to Finished Product
A practical guide to food traceability for small UK producers. What the law requires, how one step back and one step forward works, and how to build a system that lets you trace any batch in minutes.
SALSA vs BRCGS: Which Certification Does Your Food Business Need?
A clear comparison of SALSA and BRCGS certification for UK food producers. Which standard suits your size and market, what each costs, and how to choose the right path for the buyers you want to reach.
HACCP Hazard Analysis: How to Identify Every Risk in Your Food Production
A practical guide to hazard analysis for small UK food producers. The four hazard categories explained with real examples from bakeries, dairies, and meat processors, plus how to assess and document each one.
Food Hygiene Ratings Explained: How to Get a 5-Star Rating
How the UK food hygiene rating scheme works, what EHOs actually score, and practical steps to achieve and maintain a 5-star rating for your food business.
Allergen Management for Small Food Producers: A Practical Guide to Natasha's Law
How to manage the 14 UK declarable allergens in your food business. Covers Natasha's Law, PPDS labelling, allergen matrices, cross-contamination controls, and what auditors check.
How to Pass Your SALSA Audit First Time: 7 Mistakes That Catch Small Producers Out
The most common reasons small food businesses get non-conformances on their SALSA audit, and exactly how to avoid each one. Practical advice from real audit experiences.
How Much Does a HACCP Plan Cost in the UK? Consultant, Template, Training or Sage
What a HACCP plan costs a small UK producer in 2026, from published consultant, training and SALSA prices, what each route gives you, how long it takes, and what changes when the plan needs updating.
How to Register a Food Business with Your Local Authority
A step-by-step guide to registering your food business in the UK. Who needs to register, how to do it, what happens after you register, and what to expect from your first EHO visit.
Food Safety Record Keeping: What the Law Actually Requires
Cuts through the confusion about which food safety records are legally required in the UK, which are best practice, and how to keep them without spending your entire day on paperwork.
SALSA Audit Checklist: Everything You Need Before Your Auditor Arrives
A practical checklist covering every section of the SALSA standard. Use this to prepare for your SALSA audit and make sure nothing gets missed on the day.
The 12 Steps of HACCP: A Plain-English Guide for Small UK Producers
The complete 12-step HACCP methodology explained without jargon. What each step means, what you need to produce, and how small food businesses can work through the process practically.
Starting a Food Business in the UK: The Complete Compliance Checklist for 2026
Everything you need to know about food safety compliance when starting a food business in the UK. Registration, HACCP, hygiene ratings, insurance, training, and the documents you need before you start trading.
Temperature Monitoring for Food Businesses: The Complete UK Guide
Everything small UK food producers need to know about temperature monitoring - legal requirements, acceptable ranges, what to do when readings breach limits, and how to keep audit-ready records.
SALSA Certification: The Complete 2026 Guide for Small UK Food Producers
Everything you need to know about SALSA certification in 2026. What it is, who it's for, what it costs, how to prepare, and what auditors actually look for during your SALSA audit.
What Is a HACCP Plan and Does Your Small Food Business Need One?
A plain-English guide to HACCP plans for small UK food producers. What they are, who needs one, what's in them, and how to get one without spending thousands on a consultant.
Why Your HACCP Plan Shouldn't Cost £3,000
Small UK food producers are paying consultant prices for something that should be accessible to everyone. Here's how AI is changing that.