The 5 C’s of food safety are essential for compliance with UK food safety laws. These are fundamental principles that all food businesses must follow:
- Check
- Inspect all food items for use-by dates
- Verify that packaging is intact and undamaged
- Examine food for any signs of spoilage
- Ensure ingredients are from approved suppliers
- Chill
- Keep cold food at or below 5°C (legal requirement in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland)
- Chill cooked food as quickly as possible
- Maintain the cold chain without interruption
- Store high-risk foods properly covered in the refrigerator
- Clean
- Wash hands thoroughly before and after handling food
- Clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces
- Use appropriate food-grade cleaning chemicals
- Regularly disinfect cleaning equipment (cloths, sponges, scrubbers)
- Cook
- Cook food thoroughly to a core temperature above 75°C
- Keep hot food above 63°C between cooking and serving
- Never reheat food more than once
- Pay special attention to high-risk foods like poultry and minced meat products
- Cross-contamination
- Separate raw and cooked foods
- Use different chopping boards and utensils for different food types
- Handle utensils properly to prevent bacterial transfer
- Store raw meat below ready-to-eat foods in the refrigerator
These 5 C’s form the foundation of food safety compliance in the UK and are enforced by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Following these principles helps ensure food businesses meet their legal obligations under the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Hygiene Regulations.