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Hazard analysis
What is hazard analysis?
A food business is legally bound to make sure they carry out their activities in a safe and hygienic manner. They must therefore consider each step in the production of their food, and decide whether there is a potential for the food to be made unfit to eat by any physical, chemical and microbiological hazards. If so, they must then put in place a control to remove that hazard.
This process is called hazard analysis, and is not difficult to carry out. There are several documents available giving guidance on how to complete a hazard analysis, which all cover these main points:
Identify the hazards
- physical / foreign bodies - such as glass, metal, plastic & insects
- chemical - for example, cleaning materials or pesticides
- microbiological - bacterial that cause food poisoning
Identify the activity / process / step where the hazard exists
- delivery
- storage
- preparation
- cooking
- cooling
- reheating
Decide what control measures can be used to eliminate or reduce the hazard
- delivery - use reputable suppliers, check goods on receipt
- storage - store at safe temperatures, separate raw and cooked
- preparation - use clean equipment, good personal hygiene
- cooking - cooking to a safe temperature
- cooling - cool food quickly to a safe temperature
- reheating - reheat food to an adequate temperature
Monitor to ensure that controls are working
- delivery - check date marks, temperatures etc
- storage - check temperatures, conditions
- preparation - clean equipment etc
- cooking - cooking times
- cooling - cooling times, conditions
- reheating - temperature checks
Review the hazard analysis system and make sure you have not missed any hazards.
More information
| publisher | document |
|---|---|
| Department of Health | Assured Safe Catering: A Management System for Hazard Analysis [PDF 766kb] |
| Food Standards Agency | |
| Health Publications Unit | Practical Food Safety for Businesses [PDF 387kb] |
Alternatively you can request a copy of these guidance documents from the Food Safety Team by calling (01273) 292161 or by emailing ehl.food@brighton-hove.gov.uk.