Food safety by business type
Food safety & HACCP for a Catering business
A HACCP pack for caterers — cooking off-site, transporting and holding at scale.
Caterers face a hazard most fixed kitchens don't: food is cooked in one place, transported, and often held for hours before it is served at a venue with limited facilities. Large batches, tight timelines and hired-in staff all raise the risk. You need a documented HACCP-based system under EC Regulation 852/2004 that covers transport and off-site service, not just the base kitchen. FiveRate builds a plan around cook, chill or hot-hold, transport, and final service.
Free HACCP plan on the house. Full EHO-ready pack from £14.99/mo with a 7-day free trial.
The real risks
Top food safety hazards in a catering business
Your HACCP plan has to be built around the hazards your catering business actually carries — not a generic list. These are the ones that matter most.
Temperature loss in transport
Hot food cooling below 63°C and cold food warming above 8°C in transit — especially over long journeys or multiple drops — is the defining catering risk. Insulated containers and temperature checks on arrival are expected.
Bulk cooking and slow cooling
Large pots of rice, curry, stews and sauces cooked ahead cool very slowly and sit in the danger zone. Food should be cooled quickly (aim for within 90 minutes) and chilled before transport.
Long holding at the event
Buffets and functions often mean food sitting out for hours. Cold food on a buffet and hot food in chafing dishes both drift out of safe temperatures if not controlled and timed.
Limited facilities at the venue
Marquees, halls and outdoor sites may have no proper hand-washing, no refrigeration and poor cleaning facilities, making basic hygiene harder just when the food is most exposed.
Casual and agency staff
Bringing in temporary staff for a big event means people who don't know your systems handling food. Without clear instructions and supervision, hygiene and allergen mistakes creep in.
Critical control points
The CCPs a catering business has to get right
Critical control points are the steps where a hazard is prevented or reduced to a safe level — and where an inspector will expect to see monitoring and records.
Food cooked to 75°C core, then either kept hot at 63°C+ or cooled quickly and chilled to 8°C or below for transport.
Insulated/refrigerated containers, with temperatures checked and recorded on departure and on arrival at the venue.
Hot food held at 63°C+ and cold food at 8°C or below during service, with time limits applied to anything out of temperature control.
Where the marks are lost
What EHOs commonly mark catering businesses down for
The food hygiene rating is scored on three things: hygienic food handling, the cleanliness of the premises, and confidence in management. Catering businesss most often lose points on the last one — the paperwork.
- !No temperature records for food in transit — the one step that separates catering from a fixed kitchen.
- !Large batches cooled slowly on the side with no evidence of the cool-quickly rule being followed.
- !Buffet and function food left out for hours with no time or temperature controls.
- !Agency or casual staff working an event with no briefing and no training records.
Allergens
Allergen management for a catering business
Caterers often serve set menus to guests who cannot see the kitchen, so a clear allergen matrix per menu and a reliable way to handle individual guest allergies (weddings, functions, dietary requests) is essential. Every dish's allergen content must be known and communicated accurately, and any special-order plates for allergy guests need protection from cross-contact right through transport and service.
Under the 14-allergen rules (assimilated Regulation 1169/2011) and Natasha's Law, every UK food business must give accurate allergen information — the format depends on how the food is sold.
FAQ
Catering business food safety questions
Do caterers need their own HACCP plan?
Yes. A catering business must have a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles under EC Regulation 852/2004 — and it must cover transport and off-site service, which is where most catering risk sits.
How do caterers keep food safe during transport?
Keep hot food at 63°C or above and cold food at 8°C or below using insulated or refrigerated containers, and check and record temperatures on departure and arrival. Where you can't hold temperature, use strict time limits instead.
How long can catered food sit out at an event?
Food out of temperature control should be limited — as a guide, cold food can be displayed above 8°C for up to four hours once, and hot food below 63°C for up to two hours, after which it must be used or thrown away. Timing and recording this is part of your plan.
What about allergies at a wedding or function?
You need accurate allergen information for every menu and a controlled way to handle individual guest allergies, protecting special plates from cross-contact through cooking, transport and service. A clear allergen matrix per menu makes this manageable.
Get inspection-ready
Build your catering business's food safety records the easy way
FiveRate generates a HACCP plan tailored to a catering business in minutes, then the full EHO-ready pack — HACCP, daily checklists, temperature logs, allergen matrix, cleaning schedule and inspection report — all written for your business.
Food safety by business type