A good place to start
Good food hygiene.
One habit at a time.
Build a stronger daily routine with the four basics: cleaning, cooking, chilling and preventing cross-contamination.
Read the essentials
Skip to guides
Food safety guides,
Before your next shift,
The National Food Safety guides hub
Food safety guides,
made simple.
Clear answers for safer kitchens and confident teams. Explore practical guidance, useful checklists and tools for your everyday decisions.
Useful searches:
Free to readPractical tools includedNo account needed
What would you like to learn?
Start with a topic. Find something useful.
Good food hygiene.
Put it into practice
Before your next shift,
start with a check.
A simple opening checklist helps your team spot a problem before food preparation begins.
Work through the checksAnswers for the real working day
Find your next useful read.
Choose a topic, search a question or narrow things down to your business.
23 resources to explore
HACCPChecklist
Food safety records: a quick review for the person in charge
Check whether your records tell a useful story about food safety. Look for actual checks, clear corrective actions and changes that need a review of your procedures rather than more paperwork.
AllergensChecklist
Allergen handover: check an order from question to service
Use a clear handover when a customer raises an allergy or intolerance. Check the current information, pass the requirement to the right people and keep the answer consistent through preparation and service.
COSHHGuide
Wet work and cleaning: protect your team's skin
Repeated contact with water, food and cleaning substances can damage skin. Reduce unnecessary contact, choose suitable protection and make early reporting part of the everyday routine rather than waiting for severe symptoms.
Health & SafetyGuide
Knife safety: build safer habits into preparation and washing up
A safe knife routine covers selection, cutting, carrying, cleaning and storage. Use clear habits and practical supervision to reduce avoidable cuts during ordinary food preparation and washing-up tasks.
HACCPGuide
Delivery checks and traceability: know what came in and where it went
Use deliveries as a useful control point. Check the food you receive, deal with problems before ingredients enter production and keep supplier records that help you respond quickly to a safety concern.
AllergensGuide
A supplier substitution can change your allergen information
Create a clear check for ingredient substitutions and recipe changes. Keep kitchen records, customer information and staff briefings aligned so yesterday’s answer does not become today’s unsafe assumption.
Food HygieneGuide
Chilled food: checks that make your fridge log useful
Understand the difference between a fridge setting and the temperature of food. Plan meaningful checks, spot problems early and record the action taken when chilled storage goes outside your limits.
Food HygieneChecklist
Kitchen opening checks: start the shift with confidence
Before preparation begins, check the things that could affect food safety today. Work through this starter checklist, follow your own procedures and record any issue that needs action before service.
Food HygieneGuide
Build a cleaning schedule your team can follow
Turn a list of cleaning jobs into a clear routine. Assign ownership, explain the method and make the important checks visible, including surfaces and touch points that are easily missed.
AllergensGuide
PPDS labelling: check the label before food reaches display
Check whether your food is prepacked for direct sale, understand the core label information and create a simple release check that catches recipe, ingredient and printing changes before sale.
COSHHGuide
COSHH for cleaning products: assess the task, not just the bottle
Use labels and safety data sheets to understand hazards, then assess how your team actually uses each substance. Choose practical controls for storage, dilution, exposure and foreseeable incidents.
Health & SafetyGuide
Prevent kitchen slips: fix the cause as well as the spill
Spot the common causes of slips and trips in food workplaces. Deal with contamination quickly, keep routes clear and use near misses to improve the layout and cleaning routine.
Food HygieneGuide
Prevent cross-contamination in a busy kitchen
Follow the journey from raw ingredients to ready-to-eat food. Find the overlooked hand, equipment and storage routes that can spread contamination, then build practical separation into your daily routine.
HACCPGuide
HACCP for a small food business: start with what you actually do
Break food safety management into a manageable sequence: understand the process, identify hazards, choose controls and check they work. Keep the system proportionate to the food and activities in your business.
AllergensGuide
The 14 food allergens: turn knowledge into a safe answer
Knowing the allergen names is the starting point. Learn how to check ingredients, handle customer questions and keep information consistent from the kitchen through to the person serving the food.
Food HygieneGuide
The four Cs of food hygiene: build a safer daily routine
Cleaning, cooking, chilling and preventing cross-contamination work together. Use the four Cs to build a clear daily routine, spot gaps in practice and give every team member a useful starting point.
HygieneDownload
Kitchen cleaning schedule
Assign tasks, methods, frequencies and checks. Give your team a clear routine to follow.
HygieneDownload
Fridge temperature record
Record actual readings, your own safe limits and what happened when a check needed action.
AllergensDownload
Allergen ingredient check
Track ingredient evidence and substitutions before updating a recipe, menu or label.
HygieneDownload
Opening & closing record
Make your routine checks and follow-up actions easy to record at the start and end of a shift.
Food NewsOfficial update
Food recalls and allergy alerts: check the official feed
Check current Food Standards Agency notices for product recalls and allergy alerts. Follow the notice for the affected product, batch details and action to take; revisit the live source for updates.
Food NewsOfficial update
Food safety news and policy: follow FSA updates
Follow official news and guidance from the Food Standards Agency. Check the announcement carefully: consultation proposals and future plans should be distinguished from requirements already in force.
Food NewsOfficial update
Food safety in Scotland: follow the Scottish source
Find Scottish food safety guidance, official updates and alerts through Food Standards Scotland. Use the guidance for your nation when checking management packs, labelling and the requirements for your business.
No guides found this time.
Try a broader keyword, choose another topic or reset your filters to explore the whole library.
From knowing to doing
Useful tools. Ready to use.
Free, editable CSV templates for everyday food safety tasks. Preview a sheet, download it and adapt it to your own procedures.
1Preview2Download3Make it your own
Explore the template libraryFree CSV
Kitchen cleaning schedule
Assign tasks, methods, frequencies and checks. Give your team a clear routine to follow.
UK starter sheet · Adapt to your proceduresFree CSV
Fridge temperature record
Record actual readings, your own safe limits and what happened when a check needed action.
UK starter sheet · Adapt to your proceduresFree CSV
Allergen ingredient check
Track ingredient evidence and substitutions before updating a recipe, menu or label.
UK starter sheet · Adapt to your proceduresFree CSV
Opening & closing record
Make your routine checks and follow-up actions easy to record at the start and end of a shift.
UK starter sheet · Adapt to your proceduresThese starter sheets support your own controls. They do not replace a food safety management system, risk assessment or the guidance that applies in your UK nation.
A little direction helps
Find guidance for your setting.
A busy café and a home bakery have different routines. Start with the guides most relevant to the way you work.
A few quick answers
Make the most of your guides.
Know where to start, how to use the tools and when to check the official detail.
Visit our FAQsAre the food safety guides and downloads free?
Yes. You can read the guides, use the interactive checklists and download the CSV starter sheets on this page without creating an account. Training and optional certification are separate; check the relevant course page for its details and price.
Which guide should I read first?
Start with food hygiene essentials if you are new to food handling. If you are responsible for a team or food business, explore HACCP and allergen management as well. Use “Help me find a guide” to choose a starting point by business type and task.
Do these guides replace food safety training or an inspection?
Guides are useful reference material. They do not assess your competence, certify your business or guarantee an inspection outcome. Staff need supervision, instruction or training suitable for their work. Put the guidance into your own procedures and check the detailed official requirements that apply to your business.
Does the same guidance apply everywhere in the UK?
The underlying food safety principles are shared, but requirements, enforcement and official management packs can differ. Check the nation noted in each source. SFBB is for England and Wales; Northern Ireland uses Safe Catering and Scotland uses CookSafe. For workplace safety, HSE guidance primarily covers Great Britain; use HSENI for Northern Ireland.
How do I save, print or share a guide?
Use the bookmark on a guide card to save it on this device. Open a guide for print and share controls. The print option also lets you save a PDF through your browser. Saved choices stay in your browser where local storage is available; use “Clear saved guides” at the bottom of the page to remove them.
How do I open and use the download templates?
CSV files open in Excel, Google Sheets and other spreadsheet apps. Preview the columns before downloading, add your own safe limits and procedures, and assign responsibilities. Templates start blank so you can adapt them to your business. Keep the records accurate, review changes and follow your own food safety system.
Build on what you have learned
A useful guide is a good beginning.
Explore the free video library or find training for your next step.
NFS guides provide general educational information. Follow the current official guidance for your nation and adapt your procedures to the risks in your business.