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Free SFBB starter checklist

A printable set of daily food-safety checks in the spirit of the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) pack — opening, cooking, cooling, reheating, hot-holding, cleaning, deliveries and closing, with the safe UK temperature limits filled in. Print it, or run the same checks on your team's phones with ProCafe.

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SFBB starter checklist

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Opening checks

  • Fridges and freezers running correctly
  • Probe thermometer working and sanitised
  • Hand wash basin stocked with soap and paper towels
  • Allergen information available and up to date
  • Fridge temperature(≤ 8 °C)

Fridge & freezer temperatures

  • Fridge temperature(≤ 8 °C)
  • Freezer temperature(≤ -18 °C)

Delivery / goods-in checks

  • Chilled goods temperature(≤ 8 °C)
  • Frozen goods temperature(≤ -18 °C)
  • Packaging intact and undamaged
  • Within use-by / best-before date
  • Delivery accepted (reject if unsatisfactory)

Cooking temperature records

  • Dish or food cooked
  • Core temperature when cooked(≥ 75 °C)

Cooling records

  • Dish or food cooled
  • Temperature after cooling(≤ 8 °C)
  • Time taken to cool

Reheating records

  • Dish or food reheated
  • Core temperature when reheated(≥ 82 °C)

Hot-holding records

  • Dish or food held hot
  • Hot-holding temperature(≥ 63 °C)

Cleaning checks

  • Area cleaned and sanitised
  • Product used
  • Contact time followed

Dishwasher rinse temperature

  • Dishwasher final rinse temperature (gauge)(≥ 82 °C)
  • Wash and rinse arms clear, filters clean, detergent and rinse aid topped up

Closing checks

  • Hot holding switched off and food cooled correctly
  • Surfaces and equipment cleaned and sanitised
  • Waste removed and bins cleaned
  • Fridges and freezers running correctly

Probe calibration

  • Ice point reading (expect 0 °C)(-1 °C – 1 °C)
  • Boiling point reading (expect 100 °C)(99 °C – 101 °C)

Pest checks

  • Signs of pest activity seen?
  • Areas checked
  • Action taken

Tick each check once done. Write the observations, dates, times and temperatures where shown. Keep the completed record with your plan.

Questions

Common questions

What is Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB)?
SFBB is the Food Standards Agency's food-safety management system for small caterers in England and Wales. It's built around daily diary checks and safe methods for cooking, chilling, cleaning and cross-contamination. This checklist gives you the everyday diary checks in a printable form.
Is this an official SFBB pack?
No — it's a free starter checklist in the spirit of SFBB to help you get organised. The official SFBB pack is published by the Food Standards Agency; always follow your local authority's guidance. This tool is a practical starting point, not a substitute for it.
Are the temperature limits correct for the UK?
The limits shown are the conservative UK defaults (for example 75 °C cooking, 63 °C hot-holding, 8 °C fridge, −18 °C freezer). They're editable to suit your own safe methods — you keep responsibility for the numbers you use.
Can I do SFBB checks digitally?
Yes. ProCafe runs these exact checks on your team's phones, records temperatures against the limits, flags anything out of range and keeps an inspection-ready diary you can export. Free for 14 days, no card required.

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