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Safe methods overview

Safe methods are the heart of the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) pack. They are the written records of how your business handles food safely - the steps your team follows for cleaning, chilling, cooking, avoiding cross-contamination and more.

SafetyBrik is the digital replacement for the SFBB pack. The Safe Methods area mirrors the structure environmental health officers expect, so when an EHO asks to see your pack, you can walk them through it on screen instead of digging through a battered ring binder.

Why this matters

The SFBB pack is what most UK food businesses use to demonstrate due diligence under the Food Safety Act 1990. Keeping it complete, current and signed off is one of the strongest things you can do to protect your hygiene rating.

The SFBB sections SafetyBrik covers​

SafetyBrik organises Safe Methods into the same colour-coded sections you'll recognise from the paper SFBB pack:

  • Cross-contamination - keeping raw and ready-to-eat foods apart, allergen handling, personal hygiene
  • Cleaning - cleaning schedules, methods, equipment and chemicals
  • Chilling - fridge and freezer management, chilling down hot food, defrosting
  • Cooking - core temperatures, reheating, hot holding
  • Management - supervision, training, supplier checks, the four-weekly review
  • Customer information - allergen communication and how customers are told about ingredients

Each section contains the individual safe methods that apply to your business. You complete the response fields, mark each method as done, and the pack progresses towards completion.

Pack status and completion​

The Safe Methods overview page shows your pack's progress at a glance:

  • Not started - no methods completed yet
  • In progress - some methods completed or partially filled in
  • Complete - every method is either marked complete or marked "not relevant" with a reason

A progress bar shows how many of the total methods are done. Once every method has been addressed, your pack flips to Complete and the completion date is recorded.

Per-location packs

Safe methods are kept per location. If you run more than one site, each location has its own pack so the methods reflect what actually happens at that site. Use the location tabs at the top of the page to switch between them.

Where to go next​

  • See Using safe methods for how to navigate, edit and review individual methods
  • The Diary is where day-to-day records live
  • The 4-weekly review is the management sign-off rhythm SFBB requires