Using Pilla as a Food Safety Management System

What is HACCP?

HACCP — Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points — is the internationally recognised framework that underpins most food safety laws. Understanding these seven principles helps you build a system that actually works, not just one that looks good on paper.

1. Hazard analysis — Identify what could go wrong at each stage of food handling. This includes biological hazards (bacteria, viruses), chemical hazards (cleaning products, allergens), and physical hazards (glass, metal, hair).

2. Critical control points (CCPs) — The steps where you can prevent, eliminate, or reduce hazards to acceptable levels. Cooking is a classic example: reaching the right core temperature kills harmful bacteria.

3. Critical limits — The boundaries that must be met at each CCP. For cooking chicken, that's typically 75°C core temperature. For fridge storage, it's 5°C or below.

4. Monitoring procedures — How you check that critical limits are being met. This is where daily checks come in — temperature readings, visual inspections, delivery acceptance procedures.

5. Corrective actions — What to do when something goes wrong. If a fridge is too warm, what happens to the food? Who decides? This needs to be documented before problems occur.

6. Verification — Regular checks that the whole system is working. This includes calibrating equipment, reviewing records, and conducting internal audits.

7. Documentation — Records that prove you're following the system. Without records, you have no evidence. With good records, you can demonstrate due diligence.

Building your video training library

Pilla lets you structure your FSMS as a video training library. Instead of paper manuals that nobody reads, you create short videos showing your specific procedures for each food safety topic.

How it works:

• Record videos showing your actual procedures in your actual kitchen
• Upload them to Pilla's video library
• Link videos to work elements so staff see the training when they need it
• Track who has watched which videos

The articles below guide you through what to cover in each video. They explain the food safety principles, the key points to demonstrate, and the common mistakes to avoid.

Personal hygiene and staff standards

Staff are the first line of defence against contamination. Poor personal hygiene is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness — and one of the easiest to prevent with proper training.

Temperature control

Temperature is the most critical control in food safety. The danger zone — between 8°C and 63°C — is where bacteria multiply rapidly. Your FSMS must document how you keep food out of this zone during storage, cooking, cooling, and service.

Food storage and handling

Proper storage prevents cross-contamination and keeps food within safe temperature limits. Your FSMS should document exactly how food moves from delivery to storage to preparation.

High-risk cooking and preparation

Some foods need extra care because they carry higher risks of causing serious illness. Your FSMS must include specific procedures for these items.

Allergen management

Allergens are a critical control point in any food business. Unlike bacterial hazards, you can't cook allergens away — the only control is preventing contact and communicating clearly with customers.

Cleaning and sanitisation

Cleaning removes visible dirt. Sanitisation kills bacteria. Both are essential, and they must happen in the right order — you can't sanitise a dirty surface effectively.

Service and display

Food safety doesn't end when cooking finishes. Displayed food has strict time and temperature limits, and your FSMS must document how you manage food during service.

Equipment and premises

Your physical environment and equipment are part of your FSMS. Poorly maintained premises invite pests and contamination; faulty equipment can't keep food safe.

Policies, training, and compliance

Your FSMS isn't just procedures — it includes policies, training records, and documentation that proves your system works.

Next: Connecting to daily checks

Your FSMS defines what needs to be controlled. The Daily Checks guide shows how to execute those controls and create the records that prove compliance.

The system and the checks work together:

• Your FSMS identifies critical control points
• Daily checks monitor those control points
• Records prove controls are working
• Analysis reveals patterns and problems

Without an FSMS, daily checks are random activities. Without daily checks, an FSMS is just documentation.