Food safety guides
Practical guidance for UK cafes, restaurants and takeaways: SFBB records, temperature logs, EHO inspections, hygiene ratings and allergen rules — written for the people doing the checks, not the paperwork.
Looking for businesses in one place? See the curated local guides.
Digital SFBB diary: can you replace the paper pack?
Whether a digital diary is accepted at inspection, and how to get off paper without losing evidence.
Fridge temperature logs: what EHOs actually check
Legal limits, how often to record, and what inspectors look for in your logs.
How to prepare for an EHO food hygiene inspection
What officers inspect, how scoring works, and a practical readiness checklist.
How to improve your food hygiene rating from 3 to 5
Why businesses get stuck on a 3, and the habits that move you to a 5.
How to calibrate a food probe thermometer
The ice-water and boiling-water checks, how often to do them, and how to record it.
Cooling cooked food safely: the rules for UK kitchens
How fast cooked food must be cooled, how to speed it up, and how to record it.
Hot holding food safely: 63°C and the two-hour rule
63°C hot holding, the once-only two-hour rule, and the records officers expect.
Reheating food safely: steaming hot and once only
Steaming hot all the way through, one reheat only, and the probe check to write down.
Thawing food safely: fridge defrosting for UK kitchens
Plan the thaw, keep raw food separate, and cook only when the centre is defrosted.
Pest control for food businesses: checks, proofing and records
Signs of pests, proofing, contractor reports, and what to write in the diary.
Handwashing and gloves: food hygiene for UK kitchens
Wash at the right moments, change gloves as often as you would wash, and keep the basin usable.
Colour-coded chopping boards for UK kitchens
A practical colour code, the cleaning rule behind it, and the mistakes officers still find.
Separating raw and ready-to-eat food in UK kitchens
Zones, boards, fridge order and the cleaning rule when a bench is shared.
FIFO stock rotation for UK food businesses
Put the shortest date at the front, label what you open, and throw away food that is out of date.
Use-by and best-before dates for UK food businesses
Use-by is a safety date. Best-before is about quality. Staff need a rule for both.
Food waste handling for UK food businesses
Segregate waste, keep bins closed, and record who took it away.
When food handlers can return to work after illness
48 hours after symptoms stop, and a dated note of the return.
Visitor and contractor hygiene on food premises
Sign them in, keep them off open food, and clean before you cook again.
Accepting food deliveries safely in a UK food business
Check the load before you sign, keep drivers off open food, and write down every rejection.
Fridge layout for food hygiene in UK kitchens
Map the shelves, keep raw food covered on the bottom, and leave the fan clear.
Freezer temperature logs for UK food businesses
Write the reading you saw, check the food is hard, and record what you did if it is not.
Food probe thermometers for UK food businesses: use, cleaning and checks
Use a clean, suitable probe properly, verify it, and record the decision as well as the number.
Unannounced EHO visits: how UK food businesses should prepare
A calm arrival plan, honest evidence, and a practical response to any finding.
Takeaway food hygiene: practical controls for busy UK kitchens
Controls that still work when orders build up, drivers arrive, and the kitchen is under pressure.
What happens during a food hygiene inspection
The visit from arrival to rating: what officers ask, do, and decide.
Natasha's Law and allergen rules for small food businesses
PPDS labelling, the 14 allergens, and managing allergen information day to day.
Food business cleaning schedules: what to include
What to include in a practical cleaning schedule and how to review missed tasks.
Food hygiene training records: what businesses should keep
Induction, refresher training, certificates and review evidence for food businesses.
Managing food safety across multiple sites
How multi-site teams can standardise records while keeping store-level accountability.
Food safety documents: what to organise before an inspection
A practical document checklist for inspection preparation.
Using WhatsApp for restaurant bookings and customer messages
Booking enquiries, customer messages, consent and operational follow-up.
Digital HACCP vs paper records: which is better for a food business?
Compare digital and paper food safety records by evidence, workflow and inspection readiness.
Best temperature monitoring system for restaurants: what to compare
A practical buying and implementation checklist for restaurant temperature monitoring.
Restaurant food safety checklist: opening, service and closing checks
A practical checklist structure for restaurant food safety controls and records.
What is SFBB? Safer Food, Better Business explained
Understand the SFBB food safety management approach and its daily records.
How to reduce paperwork in a restaurant without weakening food safety
Reduce duplicate food safety administration while keeping useful evidence.
How wireless fridge sensors work in restaurants
Understand wireless temperature sensors and how they fit into food safety monitoring.
How Localyn temperature monitoring works
Sensor to ESP32 to Localyn API to storage, monitoring and alerts.
How Localyn digital SFBB works
SFBB setup, diary evidence and red/amber/green section health in Localyn.
How Localyn WhatsApp bookings work
WhatsApp enquiry to diary capacity without losing the operational record.
How Localyn loyalty works
QR loyalty, wallet passes and offers without rewarding star ratings.
How Localyn business automation works
Due work, reminders and missed-check follow-up from structured store data.
Delivery temperature checks for food businesses
Accept or reject deliveries with temperatures, notes and follow-up.
Corrective actions for food safety: what to record
Problem, immediate action, prevention and evidence EHOs expect.
Managing restaurant booking no-shows
Policies, reminders and capacity habits that reduce wasted covers.
Apple Wallet and Google Wallet loyalty for cafes
Wallet passes, QR joins and offers for local food businesses.
Related pages
Curated local guidesFree templatesHygiene rating checkerEHO readiness quizRole hubsStaff training
Put this into practice with Localyn
Localyn gives cafes, restaurants and takeaways a digital SFBB diary, temperature and cleaning records, allergen management and inspection-ready reports — all in one place.