How to Record a Food Safety Risks Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Food safety risks aren't abstract concepts - they're the specific things in your operation that could make a customer ill if not properly controlled. Every food business has risks, and your team needs to understand what those risks are and where they come from.

This video is about helping your senior staff and managers understand the categories of food safety risk so they can identify, assess, and control them in your specific operation. It's not about memorising a list - it's about developing the mindset to spot risks before they become incidents.

The reason this matters is simple: you can't control what you haven't identified. If your team doesn't understand where risks come from, they can't apply appropriate controls. And if controls aren't in place, customers get ill.

What you're trying to achieve with this video:

Your goal is to help your management team - executive chefs, head chefs, food operations managers, supervisors - understand five distinct categories of food safety risk:

First, risks to different types of customers. Not all customers face the same level of danger from food safety failures. Some are far more vulnerable than others, and your team needs to understand who these people are and why they're at greater risk.

Second, risks from different types of food. Some foods are inherently more dangerous than others. Your team needs to understand why certain foods require extra vigilance and what makes them risky.

Third, risks from untrained staff. People who don't know what they're doing, or don't understand why procedures exist, are a significant source of food safety risk. This includes lack of information, lack of knowledge relative to their job role, and lack of supervision.

Fourth, risks from visitors and contractors. People who enter your food environment but haven't had your training - engineers, pest control technicians, delivery drivers - can introduce hazards if not managed properly.

Fifth, risks from your food operation itself. The physical layout of your kitchen, the style of catering you do, the techniques you use - all of these create specific risks that need to be identified and controlled.

Who this video is for:

This video is primarily aimed at your senior management team. These are the people who need to consider these risks when reviewing, amending, or editing any part of your Food Safety Management System. They're the ones who must identify new control measures when things change, document everything, and communicate changes to staff.

That said, it's valuable for all supervisory staff to understand these risk categories. The more people who can spot potential risks, the safer your operation becomes.

Before you hit record:

Think through your own operation. As you explain each risk category, you'll want to give specific examples from your business. Generic explanations aren't as powerful as saying "In our kitchen, this means..."

Have your FSMS documentation to hand. You may want to reference specific controls you already have in place, or highlight areas where you've identified risks and implemented measures.

Consider filming in or near your kitchen or food preparation areas. Being able to gesture towards real examples - "like this prep area here" or "the flow from delivery to storage" - makes the content more concrete and memorable.

How long should this video be?

This is a knowledge-heavy topic with five distinct categories to cover. Plan for 10-15 minutes if you're being thorough. It's better to cover this comprehensively than to rush through and leave gaps. Your managers need to properly understand each risk category.

You could split this into multiple shorter videos - one per risk category - if that works better for how your team will consume the content. But make sure you record an overview video that explains how all five categories connect.

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Food safety risks involve both conceptual understanding (what the risk categories are and why they matter) and specific reference information (lists of vulnerable groups, high-risk foods, training requirements). Plan carefully what to communicate on camera versus what to provide as written reference material.

What to cover on camera:

The video is where you build understanding of the concepts and their importance. These things need your voice and presence:

Why risk identification matters. Explain that you can't control risks you haven't identified, and that understanding risk categories helps your team spot hazards before they cause problems. Make this feel important, not bureaucratic.

The five risk categories and what they mean. Walk through each category, explaining what it covers and why it's a source of risk. Use examples from your operation to make each category concrete and relevant.

How risks connect to controls. For each category, explain briefly that once a risk is identified, appropriate controls must be applied to eliminate, control, or mitigate that risk. This connects the "what" to the "so what".

The responsibility of senior management. Make clear that executive chefs, head chefs, and food operations managers must consider these risks when reviewing or changing any part of the FSMS. They must identify new control measures, document everything, and communicate changes to staff who may need extra training and supervision.

Real examples from your operation. As you discuss each risk category, point to specific examples in your business. "We serve a lot of elderly customers, so we're particularly careful about..." or "Our cook-chill process is a specific risk we've identified and controlled by..."

What to include as supporting written text:

The written description should contain the detailed reference material that managers will want to look up:

The five risk categories as a clear list:

1. Risks to different types of customers
2. Risks from different types of food
3. Risks from untrained staff
4. Risks from visitors, contractors, and others
5. Risks from the food operation itself and catering style

Detailed breakdown of vulnerable customer groups:

• Infants and young children
• The elderly
• Pregnant women (and the unborn infant)
• People with low or compromised immunity
• People with food allergies and intolerances

Detailed breakdown of food-related risks:

• Foods with naturally occurring high levels of pathogenic bacteria
• High-protein, moist products that readily accept bacterial growth if contaminated
• Foods that have undergone multiple stages of processing (presenting greater cumulative risk)
• Foods vulnerable to viruses, microscopic parasites, worms, mould, yeasts
• Foods vulnerable to natural toxins and toxins released by bacteria
• Foods where bacteria can form spores

Staff-related risk factors:

• Lack of training
• Lack of information
• Lack of knowledge relative to job role
• Lack of supervision
• Not undertaking training commensurate with work activities
• Not being trained in specifics: allergen awareness, handwashing technique, correct cleaning and disinfection procedures, labelling procedures, correct probe use

Visitor and contractor categories:

• Engineers
• Pest control technicians
• Delivery personnel
• Any others who haven't undertaken food safety training

Operational risk factors:

• Poor linear flow through the kitchen
• Ill-defined areas for unboxing, pot wash, storage
• Lack of dedicated allergen-free food preparation areas
• Risks of cross-contamination from layout
• Specific technique risks: vacuum packing, sous vide, cook-chill, cook-freeze processes

Management responsibilities checklist:

• Identify all risk factors when reviewing, amending, or editing the FSMS
• Identify new control measures that need to be implemented
• Document all changes
• Communicate changes to all staff
• Arrange extra training and supervision as required

Why this split works:

On camera, you're helping your management team understand the concepts and why they matter. You're building the mindset for risk identification, not just providing a list to memorise.

In the written text, you're giving them a comprehensive reference they can return to when reviewing the FSMS or assessing new risks. When they need to check "what are the vulnerable customer groups again?" or "what operational factors should I be looking at?", they can find it quickly without rewatching the entire video.

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

This is the core of your video. You're going to walk through each of the five food safety risk categories, explaining what they cover, why they're sources of risk, and what your team needs to think about for each one.

Start by framing the five categories:

Before diving into detail, give your management team the overview:

"In our food safety management system, we've identified five categories of food safety risk that senior managers need to consider. These aren't the only risks that exist, but they're the categories that help us systematically identify where hazards might come from.

The five categories are: risks to different types of customers, risks from different types of food, risks from untrained staff, risks from visitors and contractors, and risks from the food operation itself.

When you're reviewing or making changes to any part of our FSMS, you need to think through each of these categories. Have we identified the relevant risks? Do we have appropriate controls in place? Is there anything new we need to address?

Let me walk through each one."

Category 1: Risks to Different Types of Customers

Explain this category thoroughly, helping your team understand why some customers are more vulnerable:

"The first category is risks to different types of customers. Not everyone who eats our food faces the same level of risk if something goes wrong. Some groups are far more vulnerable to food-borne illness, and we need to understand who they are.

Infants and young children are vulnerable because their immune systems aren't fully developed. Their bodies are less able to fight off infections, and smaller amounts of harmful bacteria can make them seriously ill. If we serve families with young children, this is a risk we need to consider.

The elderly are vulnerable for similar reasons - immune systems weaken with age, and older people are more likely to experience severe illness or complications from food-borne disease. If your customer base includes elderly people - perhaps you run a care home catering operation, or a restaurant popular with older diners - this significantly affects your risk profile.

Pregnant women are a vulnerable group, and importantly, so is the unborn infant. Certain food-borne illnesses like listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or severe illness in newborns. Foods that might cause mild illness in a healthy adult can be devastating during pregnancy.

People with low or compromised immunity - this includes people undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, people with HIV/AIDS, and others whose immune systems are suppressed. For these customers, a food safety failure could be life-threatening.

People with food allergies and intolerances face a different kind of risk. For someone with a severe allergy, even trace amounts of an allergen can trigger anaphylaxis - a potentially fatal reaction. This isn't about bacteria or temperature control, but it's absolutely a food safety risk we must control.

When you're thinking about your operation, ask yourself: who are our customers? Do we serve vulnerable groups? If we do, that changes our risk profile and may require additional controls.

For example, if you're catering for a care home, your elderly residents are at higher risk - so your temperature controls, your allergen management, your whole approach needs to reflect that. If you run a family restaurant, you're likely serving young children regularly - so risks that might be acceptable in a bar aren't acceptable for you."

Category 2: Risks from Different Types of Food

This category requires explaining why certain foods are inherently more dangerous:

"The second category is risks from different types of food. Some foods are simply more dangerous than others, and your team needs to understand why.

Some foods have naturally occurring high levels of pathogenic bacteria. Raw chicken, for example, commonly carries Salmonella and Campylobacter. Raw shellfish can harbour Vibrio and norovirus. These foods start out with bacteria present - our job is to control and eliminate those bacteria through proper handling and cooking.

High-protein, moist products are ideal environments for bacterial growth. If these foods get contaminated - through poor handling, cross-contamination, or temperature abuse - bacteria will multiply rapidly. Think about cooked rice, cooked meats, dairy products, eggs. These foods are waiting to support bacterial growth if we give them the chance.

Foods that have undergone multiple stages of processing present greater cumulative risk. Every time food is handled, moved, heated, cooled, stored, there's an opportunity for something to go wrong. A dish that's been cooked, cooled, stored, reheated, held hot, and served has had six opportunities for failure. The more stages, the more chances for problems.

Some foods are vulnerable to hazards beyond bacteria. Viruses like norovirus can contaminate shellfish and salads. Microscopic parasites can be present in raw or undercooked meat and fish. Certain fish can harbour worms. Mould and yeasts can affect stored foods. Some foods contain natural toxins - certain mushrooms, some fish species, kidney beans that haven't been properly cooked.

Some bacteria - notably Bacillus cereus in rice and Clostridium perfringens in meat dishes - can form spores. Spores are incredibly resistant to heat and can survive cooking. When the food cools down into the danger zone, spores germinate into active bacteria that produce toxins. Understanding spore-forming bacteria changes how you think about cooling and reheating.

Here's the important point: when you introduce a new food item to your menu, or change a supplier, or modify a recipe, you need to think about what risks that food brings. Does it require different handling? Different temperature controls? Different allergen management? Managers must understand these risks, and that sometimes requires research as new foods are introduced into the offering.

In our operation, [give specific examples relevant to your menu - perhaps you work with raw fish, or you do cook-chill, or you have high-risk items that require particular attention]."

Category 3: Risks from Untrained Staff

This category addresses the human element of food safety risk:

"The third category is risks from untrained staff. People are both your greatest asset in food safety and potentially your greatest risk. Staff who lack training, information, knowledge, or supervision can cause food safety failures without even realising it.

Let me break down what we mean by 'untrained' - because it's broader than just not having a certificate.

Lack of training is the obvious one. Someone who's never been taught food safety principles doesn't know what they're doing. They might handle raw and ready-to-eat foods with the same equipment. They might leave food in the danger zone. They might not wash their hands properly. They're not being negligent - they simply don't know.

Lack of information means staff haven't been told what they need to know for your specific operation. Maybe they have a general food hygiene certificate, but they don't know your procedures, your layout, your specific requirements. Information has to be communicated, not assumed.

Lack of knowledge relative to their job role is critical. A kitchen porter needs different knowledge than a chef. A server needs different knowledge than a supervisor. If someone's knowledge doesn't match what their role requires, there's a gap where risks can occur.

Lack of supervision means even trained staff can drift from proper practice. People take shortcuts when busy. They forget things over time. Without supervision, small deviations become habits, and habits become incidents.

Not undertaking training commensurate with work activities means someone might have some training, but not enough for what they actually do. If you ask a Level 1 trained porter to handle high-risk food prep, they're not trained for that activity.

Then there's specific training that people might lack: allergen awareness, correct handwashing technique, how to clean and disinfect properly, labelling procedures, how to use a probe correctly. These are specific skills that need specific training - general food hygiene knowledge isn't enough.

When you're assessing risk from staff, ask: Does everyone have the training level appropriate for their role? Have they been given information specific to our operation? Are they supervised effectively? Are there specific skills they need that they haven't been trained on?

The control here is straightforward but requires commitment: train people properly, give them the information they need, match their knowledge to their role, and supervise them. When you make changes to the operation, communicate those changes and provide extra training as needed."

Category 4: Risks from Visitors and Contractors

This often-overlooked category needs clear explanation:

"The fourth category is risks from visitors, contractors, engineers, pest control technicians, and others who enter your food environment but haven't had your training.

Think about who comes into your kitchen or food preparation areas besides your own staff. Engineers come to fix equipment. Pest control technicians come for inspections and treatments. Delivery drivers bring stock. Health inspectors visit. Contractors might do building work or maintenance.

These people may be unaware of the food safety and hygiene procedures that are critical in a food environment. They might not know to wash their hands before entering. They might set down their toolbox on a food preparation surface. They might walk through a clean area with contaminated footwear. They might prop open doors, creating pest entry points.

This isn't about these people being careless - they simply haven't been trained in your procedures. A brilliant refrigeration engineer might be an expert in their field but have no idea about food safety protocols.

The risk is that visitors and contractors can introduce contamination, compromise your controls, or create hazards without realising it.

The control measures here include: having clear sign-in procedures so you know who's on site; briefing visitors on essential hygiene requirements before they enter food areas; supervising contractors while they work in food preparation spaces; scheduling maintenance and contractor visits for times when food preparation isn't happening where possible; having cleaning protocols for after engineering or maintenance work.

In our operation, [give examples of how you manage visitors and contractors - perhaps you have a visitor hygiene briefing, or you schedule pest control visits for early morning before food prep starts, or you have a policy about supervising engineers in the kitchen]."

Category 5: Risks from the Food Operation Itself

This category looks at how your physical setup and catering style create risks:

"The fifth category is risks from the food operation itself - your physical layout, your workflow, and the type of catering you do.

Let me start with physical layout. A well-designed kitchen has linear flow: food comes in dirty (deliveries), gets cleaned and prepped, gets cooked, gets served. It moves in one direction from dirty to clean. A poorly designed kitchen might have delivery areas next to service points, raw food storage next to ready-to-eat food, pot wash splashing onto prep surfaces.

Look at your own layout. Is there a risk of cross-contamination because of how spaces are arranged? Are there ill-defined areas where unboxing happens too close to clean prep? Is pot wash positioned where dirty water could splash onto food contact surfaces? Do you have dedicated allergen-free food preparation areas, or do you prep allergen-free food in the same space as everything else?

The type and style of catering you do creates specific risks. Different techniques present different hazards:

If you do vacuum packing and sous vide cooking, you're cooking at lower temperatures for longer times. This requires precise temperature control and careful monitoring - the margin for error is smaller than conventional cooking.

If you do cook-chill - cooking food, rapidly chilling it, then reheating for service - you've got critical control points at the cooling stage and the reheating stage. If cooling isn't fast enough, or reheating doesn't reach the right temperature, you've created conditions for bacterial growth.

Cook-freeze processes have similar considerations, plus the risks associated with freezing and thawing.

High-volume operations have different risks than small-scale kitchens. The more food you handle, the more opportunities for cross-contamination, temperature abuse, and human error.

Buffet service, hot holding, multiple service points - each creates specific risks that need specific controls.

When you're reviewing your FSMS or making changes to your operation, look at the physical environment and the processes you use. What risks do they create? What controls do you have? Are those controls sufficient?

In our operation, [describe specific operational risks you've identified and how you control them - perhaps your layout has a particular challenge you've addressed, or you use techniques like sous vide that require specific protocols]."

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

Now you're going to help your management team understand the process of identifying risks and applying controls. This connects the knowledge from Step 3 to practical action.

Explain the risk assessment mindset:

"Understanding the five risk categories is the foundation. Now let's talk about what you actually do with that knowledge.

When you're reviewing any part of our Food Safety Management System - whether that's because we're changing the menu, introducing a new supplier, redesigning the kitchen, or doing our annual review - you need to systematically think through the risks.

For each of the five categories, ask yourself:

Have we identified the relevant risks for our specific operation? Not generic risks, but the actual risks we face given our customers, our menu, our staff, our visitors, and our layout.

Do we have appropriate controls in place? For each risk, we should be able to point to a control that eliminates it, reduces it, or manages it to an acceptable level.

Are those controls working? A control that exists on paper but isn't followed in practice isn't a control at all.

Is there anything new we need to address? Changes to the operation can introduce new risks that weren't there before."

Walk through a practical example:

Help your team see how this works in practice:

"Let me walk through an example of how this works. Imagine we're adding a new dish to the menu - let's say a raw fish preparation like tartare or sashimi.

First, risks to different types of customers. Raw fish isn't suitable for vulnerable groups - pregnant women, the elderly, those with compromised immunity. Do we need to add a menu warning? Should we have an alternative available?

Second, risks from the type of food. Raw fish can harbour parasites, bacteria, and viruses. It's high-protein and will support bacterial growth if temperature-abused. We need to assess whether our suppliers can provide fish that's been frozen to kill parasites, what our cold chain looks like from delivery to service, and how we'll ensure the dish stays at safe temperatures.

Third, risks from staff. Who's going to prepare this dish? Are they trained for raw fish preparation? Do they understand the specific risks? Do they know the temperature requirements? We might need additional training before we can serve this dish.

Fourth, risks from visitors and contractors. Probably less relevant for this specific change, but we'd still consider whether anything about contractor access or visitor management is affected.

Fifth, risks from the operation. Where will this preparation happen? Do we have a designated area that won't create cross-contamination risks? Do we have the right equipment? Does this fit with our kitchen's workflow?

For each risk we identify, we then need to determine the control. What will we do to eliminate or manage that risk? Then we document it, update the FSMS, and communicate it to everyone involved.

This is the process that senior managers - executive chefs, head chefs, food operations managers - must follow. It's not a one-time exercise. Every time something changes, we go through this process again."

Emphasise documentation and communication:

Make clear that identification alone isn't enough:

"I want to emphasise two things that are easy to overlook: documentation and communication.

When you identify a risk and implement a control, it must be documented. Our FSMS isn't just a static document - it's a living record of what risks we've identified and how we control them. If it's not documented, it's not part of the system.

And when you make changes - new risks identified, new controls implemented, existing procedures modified - that information must be communicated to all staff. People can't follow procedures they don't know about. They can't watch for risks they haven't been told exist.

Sometimes communication means a quick briefing at the start of a shift. Sometimes it means formal retraining. Sometimes it means updating written procedures and making sure everyone's read them. The method depends on the significance of the change, but communication must happen.

And if a change means people need extra training and supervision, that needs to happen too. Don't assume people will just pick it up. Confirm they understand, confirm they're competent, and supervise until you're confident the new controls are being followed consistently."

Discuss ongoing review:

Help your team understand this is continuous, not one-time:

"Risk identification isn't something you do once and forget about. Your operation changes. Your menu changes. Your suppliers change. Staff come and go. The building ages. Regulations update. New hazards are identified in the industry.

The formal review of your FSMS should happen at least annually. But informally, risk awareness should be constant. Every time something changes, someone should be asking: does this affect our risks? Do we need to update our controls?

Encourage your team to think about risks proactively. The goal is to identify hazards before they cause incidents, not to investigate after someone gets ill. A culture where everyone is thinking about risks - not just ticking boxes - is far safer than one where people follow procedures mechanically without understanding."

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Now address the gaps in risk identification and control that commonly cause problems.

Mistake 1: Focusing only on obvious risks:

"One of the most common mistakes is focusing only on the obvious risks while missing the less visible ones.

Everyone knows raw chicken is risky. Everyone knows about temperature control. These are the risks we talk about, train on, and check constantly.

But what about the engineer who came to fix the dishwasher last Tuesday? Did anyone brief them on hygiene requirements? Did anyone supervise them in the kitchen? Did anyone clean the surfaces they worked on?

What about the new sauce you added to the menu last month - did anyone assess whether it changed your allergen profile or introduced new risks?

What about the kitchen porter who's been covering for a sick chef - is their training level appropriate for the tasks they're now doing?

The obvious risks tend to have controls in place. It's the less obvious ones - the edge cases, the changes, the one-off situations - where gaps appear.

When you're thinking about risks, actively look for the non-obvious. What's changed recently? Who's doing something different? What's the thing that nobody's really thought about?"

Mistake 2: Identifying risks but not implementing controls:

"Another common mistake is identifying risks on paper but not actually implementing effective controls.

I've seen food safety documentation that lists dozens of risks, each with a control measure next to it. But when you watch what actually happens in the kitchen, those controls aren't being followed. They exist in the FSMS document but not in practice.

There are several reasons this happens. Sometimes the control is unrealistic - it looked good on paper but isn't practical in a busy service. Sometimes people weren't properly trained on the control. Sometimes there's no supervision to ensure compliance. Sometimes the control was implemented initially but has been forgotten over time.

A risk with an ineffective control is still a risk. In fact, it might be worse - because you think you've addressed it when you haven't.

When you identify a risk and design a control, ask yourself: Will this actually work in practice? Have we trained people on it? Are we supervising to ensure compliance? And periodically check: is this control still being followed? Is it still effective?"

Mistake 3: Not recognising changes that introduce new risks:

"A very common mistake is making changes to your operation without recognising that those changes introduce new risks.

New menu item? That could mean new allergens, new high-risk ingredients, new preparation techniques.

New supplier? That could mean different quality standards, different delivery schedules, different product specifications.

New staff member? That's definitely a risk until they're properly trained and supervised.

Kitchen renovation? That could change workflow, create new contamination points, introduce new cleaning requirements.

New piece of equipment? That needs maintenance protocols, cleaning procedures, maybe training on safe use.

Even small changes can have food safety implications. And often, changes happen quickly - someone needs to cover a shift, a supplier doesn't deliver and you substitute, a piece of equipment breaks and you work around it.

The mindset should be: every change is a potential new risk until proven otherwise. When something changes, someone should be asking: what does this mean for food safety? Do we need to do anything differently?"

Mistake 4: Treating vulnerable customers the same as everyone else:

"A specific mistake I want to highlight is treating all customers the same when some are significantly more vulnerable.

If you're serving food to the general public in a restaurant, your customer base probably includes some pregnant women, some elderly people, some young children, some people with compromised immunity. You should have baseline controls appropriate for serving vulnerable groups.

But if your primary customer base is vulnerable - if you're catering for a care home, a hospital, a nursery - your entire approach needs to be different. The same food safety failure that might cause mild illness in a healthy adult could be fatal for an elderly care home resident.

Know who your customers are. If you serve vulnerable groups regularly, your risk profile is higher, and your controls need to reflect that. Don't assume that controls appropriate for a general restaurant are sufficient for an operation serving primarily vulnerable people."

Mistake 5: Assuming trained staff stay trained:

"Finally, a mistake around staff risk: assuming that once someone is trained, they stay trained.

Knowledge fades. People forget things they don't use regularly. Bad habits develop over time. Procedures get modified informally until they no longer match the original training.

Training isn't a one-time inoculation against risk. It needs reinforcement, refreshing, and supervision.

This is why the risk category mentions lack of supervision alongside lack of training. Even well-trained staff need to be supervised to ensure they're still following correct procedures. When you observe deviation from training, it's a signal - either the training needs reinforcing, or there's a problem with the procedure itself.

Build ongoing training and supervision into your operation. Check that people still know what they were taught. Correct drift before it becomes habit. And when procedures change, train again - don't assume people will work it out."

Step 6: Key takeaways

End your video by reinforcing the most important points about food safety risk identification.

Reinforce the five categories:

"Let me bring this back to the core framework. Food safety risks come from five main categories:

Risks to different types of customers - infants, the elderly, pregnant women, those with compromised immunity, and people with allergies and intolerances. Know who your customers are and what their vulnerability means for your controls.

Risks from different types of food - foods with naturally high bacteria levels, high-protein moist foods that support bacterial growth, foods that have undergone multiple processing stages, foods vulnerable to viruses, parasites, moulds, toxins, and spore-forming bacteria. Understand the risks your menu presents.

Risks from untrained staff - lack of training, lack of information, lack of knowledge relative to job role, lack of supervision, and missing specific skills like allergen awareness or proper probe use. Your people are your first line of defence and your biggest potential vulnerability.

Risks from visitors and contractors - engineers, pest control, deliveries, and anyone else who enters your food environment without your training. They can introduce hazards without realising it.

Risks from the food operation itself - your physical layout, your workflow, your catering style, and the techniques you use. The way you've set up your operation creates specific risks that need specific controls."

Emphasise management responsibility:

"Senior management - that means executive chefs, head chefs, food operations managers, and anyone reviewing or modifying the FSMS - must consider all of these risk categories.

When you review, amend, or edit any part of the Food Safety Management System, you must:

Identify all relevant risk factors. Not generically, but specifically for your operation.

Identify any new control measures that need to be implemented. If there's a risk without a control, that's a gap that needs filling.

Document everything. If it's not documented, it's not part of the system.

Communicate changes to all staff. People can't follow procedures they don't know about.

Arrange extra training and supervision as required. Don't assume people will just adapt - confirm they understand and can perform correctly."

Connect to ongoing vigilance:

"Risk identification isn't a one-time exercise. It's an ongoing responsibility. Every time something changes - new menu, new staff, new supplier, new equipment, new layout, new technique - someone needs to be asking: what does this mean for our risks?

The goal is to identify hazards before they cause incidents. To eliminate risks where possible, and control the ones that remain. To make food safety something you think about proactively, not reactively after something goes wrong.

Your customers trust you with their health every time they eat your food. Understanding and controlling risks is how you honour that trust."

Close with action:

"After watching this video, I want you to do something practical. Look at your operation through the lens of these five risk categories. For each one, ask yourself: what are the specific risks in our business? Do we have appropriate controls? Is there anything we've missed?

If you identify gaps, bring them to me. If you have ideas for better controls, I want to hear them. And if you're ever unsure whether something is a risk, assume it is and raise it.

Risk identification is everyone's job, but it's especially the responsibility of senior management to ensure our system is comprehensive and effective. Take that responsibility seriously."