While often used interchangeably, food safety and food hygiene refer to two slightly different concepts. Food safety refers to all processes that are used to ensure food is safe to eat. Food hygiene, however, means specific practices and conditions put in place to prevent foodborne illnesses by controlling biological, chemical, physical and allergenic hazards. It's a crucial part of food safety, which also includes temperature control, risk analysis and prevention and broader controls such as supplier management.

Because of their similarity, the terms 'food hygiene' and 'food safety' are often used to mean the same thing. This is especially true when it comes to training - so if you are looking for a food hygiene certificate and come across a food safety course, you are probably on the right tracks.

Food Safety: A Comprehensive Approach

Food safety refers to the broad principles and practices aimed at preventing contamination and illness by managing hazards throughout the entire food production chain.

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and Food Standards Scotland in Scotland, oversee food safety. They uphold food safety standards that have been incorporated into UK law through various regulations, including The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, The General Food Regulations 2004, and the Food Safety Act 1990.  

UK and NI food safety legislation dictates that food businesses must:

• Ensure food is safe for consumption.
• Guarantee the quality of food matches its claims, including accurate advertising and avoiding misleading consumers.
• Maintain traceability records for all food products to facilitate identification in case of issues.
• Establish procedures for product withdrawal or recall and customer notification when problems arise.   

In Wales, Scotland and NI, food businesses are also required to display their current food hygiene rating, determined by their local authority.

Food Hygiene: Practical Measures for Cleanliness

Food hygiene refers to the practical actions and conditions needed to maintain a clean and healthy environment during food handling.  

Five key principles of food hygiene are:

• Prevent contamination from people, pets, and pests
• Separate raw and cooked foods
• Cook foods thoroughly at the correct temperatures 
• Store food at safe temperatures
• Use safe water and ingredients

Controlling Food Hygiene

A Food Safety Management System is a vital tool in controlling food safety within a food business. Typically this is implemented and overseen by a manager or supervisor, and followed by all food handlers within the business. HACCP - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points - is a food safety management system that can be used to risk assess the threats to food safety and introduce and monitor control measures to minimise or eliminate those threats.

• Identifying potential hazards at each stage of food production
• Determining critical control points for monitoring.
• Establishing critical limits (e.g., cooking times and temperatures). 
• Implementing monitoring procedures.
• Defining and implementing corrective actions for deviations.
• Maintaining detailed records.
• Regularly verifying system effectiveness.

Managers in food businesses often required Level 3 Food Hygiene training, as well as HACCP training in order to assist them with this element of their role.

Consequences of Neglecting Food Hygiene and Safety

Poor food hygiene and safety can lead to serious consequences for businesses and consumers, including foodborne illnesses, food poisoning outbreaks, and severe health complications, especially for vulnerable individuals.   

Businesses may face:

• Lower food hygiene ratings.
• Loss of customer trust and reputational damage.
• Potential closure.
• Legal penalties including prosecution and fines. 
• Revenue loss and compensation claims.
• Food spoilage and waste.
• Potentially life-threatening allergic reactions in the case of poor allergen management.

Therefore, maintaining high food safety standards - including excellent food hygiene - is an absolute must for all food businesses.