We understand and appreciate that operating a small food business at any time is challenging. These challenges have been exacerbated by the current COVID-19 crisis, and the aim of this document is to provide help and guidance. The best way to protect your customer and your business is to ensure you continue to follow your existing Food Management and Quality Management Systems. Staff shortages, operational difficulties and changes in demand may tempt you to drop your guard. It is vital that you continue to operate high standards of personal hygiene, cleaning, disinfection and other food safety controls as you would under normal circumstances. To assist you with this, we have created a Q&A page to answer some of the queries which will affect small food businesses with respect to COVID-19 which include:
- Can I catch COVID-19 from food?
- Will food run out?
- Do I need to change my refrigeration, freezing and cooking procedures?
- What special cleaning and disinfection measures do I need to apply?
- Can I extend my shelf-life?
- Can I use re-work?
- What additional precautions do I need to take with respect to staff?
- What should I do to decommission and re-commission my equipment/facility if I have to shut down all/part of my business?
- Can I change my business to sell on food supplies to avoid costs?
- What about distribution?
- What else do I need to think about?
- What should I consider if I am preparing food boxes and ready meals for home delivery?
- Be alert for Food Fraud
Further information and guidance for SME's:
Authoritative Guides:
- WHO Coronaviruses Q&A
- WHO Commentary: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: implications for infection prevention precautions
- PHE Novel Coronavirus background information
- PHE guidance flowchart on return to work
- UK Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology Analysis reports on COVID-19
- Food Standards Agency 'Here to Help' food business help webpages
- Food Standards Agency sector-specific Safer Food, Better Business guides
- Food Standards Agency advice on Chilling
- Food Standards Agency Guidance on community cooking
- Food Standards Agency - Adapting food manufacturing operations during COVID-19
- Food Standards Agency - Adapting restaurants and food businesses for takeaway and food delivery during COVID-19
- Food Standards Agency - Adapting agricultural and primary production operations during COVID-19
- Food Standards Scotland Guidance for food business operators and their employees
- SOFHT Guidance to Cleaning & Disinfection Regime with respect to Coronavirus
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) COVID-19 Q&A
- Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Guidance for preventing transmission of COVID-19 within food businesses - Updated guidance (2 Aug 21)
- Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) COVID-19 and Food Safety Guidance for food businesses advice
- Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Policy briefs on COVID-19
-
UK Government Food Sector Business Guidance During COVID-19
- Welsh Government guidance for prevention and management of COVID-19 in food plants
- European Commission Q&As on COVID-19
- UK Joint Biosecurity Centre (BSI) Food & Drink Action Cards
- UK Joint Biosecurity Centre (BSI) Commercial Workplaces Action Cards
- UK Joint Biosecurity Centre (BSI) Industrial Workplaces Action Cards
- UK Joint Biosecurity Centre (BSI) Small & Large Gatherings Workplace Action Cards
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Testing in High-Density Critical Infrastructure Workplaces
- BSI Safe Working Practices
- Public Health England Information Sheet A What is an Outbreak Food Manufacturer
- Public Health England Testing_Covid19_Food Manufacturer
- Public Health England ContactTracing_Covid19_Food Manufacturer
- Public Health England key outbreak management definitions Food Manufacturer
- Public Health England guidance Covid-19 outbreaks for staff and managers - food manufacturers
- Public Health England Info sheet_HandHygiene_COVID19_Food Manufacturer_v1.0
- Public Health England Info_sheet_RespiratoryHygiene_COVID19_Food Manufacturer_v1.0
- Public Health England Info_sheetK_Cohorting_COVID19_Food Manufacturer_v1.0
- Public Health England AntibodyTests_Covid19_Food Manufacturer
- Public Health England Info_sheetJ_FaceCoverings_COVID19_Food Manufacturer_v1.0
- Public Health England Info_sheetE_Temperature_COVID19_Food Manufacturer_v1.0
- Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on air handling, circulation and ventilation
- Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) guidance on considerations relating to COVID-19 impact - how to operate and use building services to minimise the spread of the virus
-
European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) EHEDG Doc. 47 - Guidelines on Air Handling Systems in the Food Industry - Air Quality Control for Building Ventilation
-
Ventilation actions to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 from SAGE Environment and Modelling Group *NEW*
Useful Guides:
- IFST's Guidance on Testing Individuals for Coronavirus (updated)
- IFST's Guidance on Testing Food, Packaging or Production Facilities for Coronavirus (updated)
- Joint IFST, SOFHT & FBIG Cleaning & Disinfection Technical Fact Sheet *NEW*
- Good Manufacturing Practice 7th Edition (GMP7) Chapter 21 - Cleaning and Sanitation *NEW*
- IFST Guidance on Food Fraud - Advice for Small Businesses
- IFST Guidance on 'Being alert for food fraud'
- IFST's Guidance on 'Cook now, Eat Later'
- IFST's Restarting your food business checklist
- IFST Sensory & Consumer Science Guidelines for Running Testing
- IFST Webinar: Coronavirus: Food Safety Risk? (Part 1 - video)
- IFST Webinar: Coronavirus: Food Safety Risk? Your Questions Answered (Part 2 - video)
- Webinar from IFST SC20 series relating to COVID-19
- IFST Professional Distribution Drivers Guidance
- Crew, Sterling (2020), Food Safety Risk during the Pandemic, Food Science & Technology Journal, Volume 34 Issue 2.
- Campden BRI webinar on COVID-19
- Food Innovation Wales guidance
- Industry guides to Good Food Hygiene Practice
- UK Hospitality advice for the hospitality industry
- Which? guide on freezing for consumers
- British Frozen Food Federation Guidance on the freezing down of chilled and ambient product to preserve life
- SEAFISH Guidance on Reopening Your Fish and Chip Shop
- CIEH article on the use of PPE in the workplace
- BSI report: Safe working in the ‘new normal’
- BSI Supply Chain Risk Insights 2020 Report
Training:
- FSA e-learning on:
- labelling https://labellingtraining.food.gov.uk/,
- on traceability https://traceabilitytraining.food.gov.uk/,
- on allergens https://allergytraining.food.gov.uk/
- on vacuum packing https://vacuumpackingtraining.food.gov.uk/introduction/,
- on root cause analysis https://rcatraining.food.gov.uk/#home
- Videos on 4C’s - hand washing, cross-contamination, clean, cook, chill
- CIEH: How to hand wash video
- Safefood are running podcasts to support SMEs repurposing and reopening after lockdown.
Written by experienced food safety experts, SALSA is a robust and effective food safety certification scheme for the UK’s smaller food producers and processors. Above all else, the SALSA scheme exists to encourage and assist small and micro businesses to implement practices and controls that produce food that is consistently safe.
SALSA approval is only granted to suppliers who are able to demonstrate to an auditor that they are able to produce safe and legal food and are committed to continually meeting the requirements of the SALSA standard. Approved suppliers can demonstrate that they operate to standards that are recognised and accepted across the industry and exceed the minimum standards expected by enforcement authorities. Our members' company profiles are visible to regional and national buyers through the SALSA Directory
The SALSA scheme aims to support, encourage and help develop small businesses as they grow - providing food safety training, an online library of technical guides and a dedicated Technical Helpline. Food businesses can also access 1-2-1 technical support from our national cohort of professionally qualified and trained mentors – simply search the Mentor Directory or call the Technical Helpline on 01295 724248 to find out more.
This section is part of our COVID-19 Knowledge Hub. IFST have created a COVID-19 Knowledge Hub to consolidate advice, practical guidance and links to resources to support individuals, smaller food businesses and larger food operations. Find out more here.
Regarding 'Track and Trace', official guidance has now been provided to prevent false positives for specific workplace scenarios when the phone is not on your person, such as when your phone is in lockers. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-workplace-guidance
Once you’ve downloaded the NHS COVID-19 app, it should be left on as much as possible. However, there are some specific workplace scenarios when the phone is not on your person, such as when your phone is in lockers when you should pause the contact tracing feature by turning off 'contact tracing' on the home screen of the NHS COVID-19 App.
You can find further guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-workplace-guidance