Award Criteria

To receive the award your food business must demonstrate excellence in three areas:

When you submit your application we will arrange a time to visit and check that you fulfill all of the criteria.

After the inspection we will be able to tell you if you have been successful. If there are a few areas that you need to improve on we will tell you what they are and suggest ways that you could improve.

You will have to contact us within two months to let us know that you have completed the improvements. We will then arrange to carry out a check to satisfy ourselves that you meet all the criteria.

1. Food Safety Management

Your business must have a working written food safety management system that fully describes how you produce or handle food safely. Small or low risk food businesses like bed and breakfasts, green grocers or confectioners will not need to have as much written down as larger businesses like hotels, supermarkets or caterers that deal with high risk food. We will assess the level of detail required on a case-by-case basis. Written systems must cover the following areas, if appropriate to your business:

• identification of all areas critical to food safety, together with appropriate measures and checks to control these critical areas

• a complete temperature monitoring and recording system that covers all areas of the business from receipt of supplies to customer service

• cleaning schedules

• staff hygiene rules

• prevention of cross-contamination policy and procedures

• stock rotation and control policy, which includes the traceability of foods, and ingredients, where necessary

• pest control policy and records

A thoroughly completed and detailed Safer Food Better Business system is likely to comply with these criteria.

2. Staff Training

You must show a commitment to staff training, supported by a written policy and up to date records of this.

• Food business operators, managers or supervisors- those responsible for producing and/or maintaining food safety systems must have appropriate training to do so. Alternatively they must be able to show they have sufficient knowledge, understanding and experience to produce and manage a system. They must have at least a Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate (or recognised equivalent) gained within the last five years and be able to show a full understanding of relevant hygiene issues. Intermediate or Advanced certificates do not need to be renewed.

• All staff handling any food- must be given food hygiene instruction when they join the business. They must be instructed in the in-house written procedures that apply to them and be able to demonstrate a clear and thorough understanding of the potential problems and precautions that have to be taken.

• All staff handling unwrapped high-risk food- must have at least a Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate (or recognised equivalent) gained within the last five years, and be able to show a full understanding of relevant hygiene issues.

• New staff who will handle unwrapped high-risk food- must be enrolled on a Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate (or recognised equivalent) within three months of joining the business.

Copies of hygiene certificates and training records for all current staff must be kept on the premises, and be available for inspection.

Certificates provided by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Officers and other accredited bodies, or equivalent NVQ qualification, should be kept with your records.

3. Commitment to Customer Care

Your business must show a positive commitment to customer care. This means you have to show you genuinely care about the level of service your customers receive. Areas you should look at include:

• Front-of-house policies and procedures covering all areas that affect customer satisfaction- a policy explaining how you intend to maintain standards of service at front-of-house. This should include information about cleaning in customer areas and how you monitor that those standards are maintained.

• A customer satisfaction and response system- this should include details of how customers can formally comment on the business and how any complaints will be dealt with. It can be as simple as a comments book or a note at the bottom of the menu explaining who the customer needs to speak to if they wish to comment about the service. It must be clear how complaints are dealt with.

• Staff who are courteous and polite to customers- training or instructions to staff on how to address and respond to customers politely and helpfully and how to serve them.

• Staff who are clean and who dress smartly and appropriately- a dress code for staff, this may not necessarily be a uniform, and instructions on personal hygiene.

These do not necessarily have to be specific written policies. They may already be covered by other written procedures you have in place. If you do need a separate policy for any of the above, they can be very simple and you can use the suggested policy documents and forms provided as examples of what information your written food safety management system should contain and the type of records you need to keep.

If you do not have written policies, you must be able to show that you have dealt with any comments or problems properly.