Food Safety Records in Scotland: Laws, Inspections and FHIS

Scotland food safety records explained: the law, CookSafe, FHIS Pass or Improvement Required, inspections, required records and digital records.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Scotland need food safety records? Yes. Every food business in Scotland must have permanent food safety procedures based on HACCP principles, with records that fit the size of the business. Your council's food safety officer checks them at inspection, and the result goes into your Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) outcome: Pass or Improvement Required. The records do not have to be on paper. Food Standards Scotland's CookSafe guide says you can record electronically or use a diary. This page explains Scotland's own rules, what inspectors look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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Scotland has its own regulator, its own rating scheme and its own temperature rules. Every fact below comes from an official source, linked in the text and at the end.

The law: what every food business in Scotland must do
Who inspects you, and how often
Your FHIS result: Pass or Improvement Required
The records inspectors ask for
Where businesses lose marks
By type of business
Why digital records help in Scotland
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

1. The law: what every food business in Scotland must do

The main laws. The Food Safety Act 1990, the retained EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene, and The Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (SSI 2006/3), which cover enforcement in Scotland: improvement notices, prohibition notices and offences.
The regulator. Food Standards Scotland (FSS) sets the rules and guidance and runs FHIS together with local authorities. Your local council does the inspections.
Register first. Register with the environmental health service of your local council at least 28 days before you open. Registration is free. It applies to all food businesses, including online and social media sellers (Registering a food business, FSS; Starting a food business, mygov.scot).
A food safety management system. You need permanent procedures based on HACCP principles, with records that fit the size and nature of your business, kept for an "appropriate period" (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5). In Scotland the official help is CookSafe, a guide from FSS that helps catering businesses build a HACCP-based system. You may use your own forms.
Temperatures. Scotland has no legal chill temperature. CookSafe says 8°C or below controls the growth of most bacteria, sets 5°C or below as the recommended fridge setting, and gives 5°C or below as an example for chilled food on delivery and −18°C or below for frozen food (CookSafe, section 3).
Hot food. CookSafe says hot food held before serving must be kept above 63°C. Unlike England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is no 2-hour allowance below 63°C.
Cooking and reheating. CookSafe gives 75°C or above as an example core temperature for cooking. Reheated food should reach a core temperature of at least 82°C. Where 82°C would spoil the food, the alternative is 70°C for 2 minutes.
Cooling. Cool food as quickly as possible, in small portions or shallow containers, then refrigerate. Do not put hot food straight into the fridge.
Staff training. No law requires a certificate. CookSafe says the Regulations do not require external training courses, but it recommends that staff who handle high-risk food take a formal food hygiene course, ideally within 3 months of starting.
Staff who are ill. Staff should not return to work until they have been free of vomiting or diarrhoea for 48 hours. Some infections, such as E. coli O157, need formal exclusion and medical clearance first. CookSafe has a Return to Work Questionnaire for this.
Allergens. You must manage the 14 allergens. Natasha's Law applies in Scotland: since 1 October 2021, food prepacked for direct sale needs a label with the name of the food and a full ingredients list, with the allergens emphasised, for example in bold (Allergen labelling, FSS; PPDS guidance, FSS). Any "may contain" statement from a supplier must be carried onto your label.
Traceability. Keep purchase records so you can show who supplied what.

2. Who inspects you, and how often

Your council. Food safety officers from your local council inspect food businesses in Scotland. They check compliance with food hygiene law and that food is safe to eat (FHIS guidance, FSS).
How often. The Food Law Code of Practice (Scotland) (2019 edition, which FSS says is under review) sets the minimum by risk score: category A (92 or more) at least every 6 months; B at least every 12 months; C at least every 18 months; D at least every 24 months. Category E (low risk, 30 or less) gets a programme of alternative enforcement strategies at least every 3 years.
What officers can do. Under the Food Safety Act 1990 (section 32), officers can inspect records in whatever form they are held, use your computer to read them, and take copies.
If things are wrong. A hygiene improvement notice must give you at least 14 days to put things right (regulation 6, 2006 Regulations). Failing to comply with a notice is an offence.

3. Your FHIS result: Pass or Improvement Required

No 0 to 5 number. Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme, run by local authorities with FSS. A business gets one of two results. Pass means it broadly met the legal requirements, including the conditions found and the management procedures in place for providing safe food. Improvement Required means it did not (FHIS guidance, FSS).
Management counts. The test includes the procedures you have in place for safe food. That is where your records come in.
Public. Customers can check the result online. You receive a certificate or sticker to show on your door or window. The FSS pages do not make showing it a legal duty.
Appeal. Appeal in writing within 14 days of being told your result. Weekends and holidays count. Send it to the council's Lead Officer for Food (FHIS business safeguards, FSS).
Right to reply. You may send your own comments to be shown with your result.
Re-visit. After an Improvement Required, once you have made the improvements, you can ask for a re-visit. You can ask at any time, but you cannot choose the date. You are allowed only one follow-up visit between regular inspections, so be ready. The officer looks at your overall standards, not only the fixes. You are told the new result in writing, at the visit or within 14 days. FSS says the re-visit costs nothing "at the moment".
New owner. A change of operator at the same address needs a new assessment.

4. The records inspectors ask for

The law asks for records that fit your business. CookSafe says you are not expected to write down every check you make, and that you should use its HACCP charts to decide which records suit your business. For a kitchen that usually means:

Opening and closing checks: fridges and freezers working, cleaning done, staff fit for work.
Temperature records: fridges, freezers and chilled displays; cooking; hot holding; cooling; reheating.
Deliveries: what arrived, when, from which supplier, and at what temperature.
Cleaning of equipment and surfaces.
Problems and what you did about them, for example a warm fridge and the food you threw away.
Staff training, and who has been shown what.
Return to work forms after illness.
Allergen information for every dish.
Supplier records for traceability.

How long to keep them. The law says "an appropriate period". CookSafe says your Enforcement Officer can advise on the time frame. Ask your council.

5. Where businesses lose marks

A Pass depends on the conditions found and your management procedures. Common record problems are easy to picture:

Gaps. Days with no checks written down.
No action recorded. A reading that was too warm, with nothing about what was done.
Wrong rules. Using the England rule (hot food below 63°C for up to 2 hours) in Scotland, where there is no such allowance.
Lost or damaged pages. Paper gets wet, greasy or thrown away.
Training not shown. Staff were trained, but nothing proves it.
Allergens out of date. A new dish, but the allergen information was not changed.

Fixing these is often quicker than building work. With only one free re-visit between regular inspections, it pays to be ready the first time.

6. By type of business

The rules are the same for every food business, but the records depend on what you do.

Restaurant: full daily checks, cooking, hot holding above 63°C, cooling, reheating to 82°C, deliveries, cleaning, and allergens for every dish.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, with careful hot holding for food waiting for collection or delivery, and allergen information for phone and online orders.
Café: fridge and display temperatures, cleaning, and labels for sandwiches and salads you pack before the customer orders (prepacked for direct sale).
Bakery: allergen records, labels with allergens in bold for wrapped goods, and fridge records for cream cakes and fillings.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer records for desserts and ice cream, and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: the same records as a restaurant for the food you serve, and allergen information for every dish.
Community hall / venue: register with the council if you serve food regularly; keep temperature and cleaning records for each event.
Corner shop: fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, date checks, and labels for food you pack yourself.
School / nursery kitchen: temperature and cleaning records, and careful allergen records for every child.
Caterer / food van: register with your council; keep temperatures in transport and at the event, and keep your records with you.
Home kitchen business: register with your council like any other food business, and keep the same kind of records.

7. Why digital records help in Scotland

They are allowed. Officers may inspect records in whatever form they are held, and CookSafe says you can record electronically.
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day.
Problems come with their fix. When a reading is out of range, the record can ask what you did about it.
Nothing is lost. No wet, greasy or missing pages.
Ready for the inspector. Show everything at once, instead of looking for folders.
Ready for the one re-visit. Your records are in order before you ask for it.
Every staff member can take part. Staff can record checks on a phone or tablet, in their own language.

8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows Scotland's rules and the CookSafe guide. What it does:

Daily checks for fridges, freezers, cooking, hot holding, cooling, cleaning and deliveries, with the time, the staff member's name and photos. Saved records cannot be changed; corrections are added as new records.
Your country's temperatures built in, such as hot holding above 63°C and reheating to 82°C in Scotland.
Food safety plan ("safe methods"). About 20 minutes: answer questions, check each method, sign it, set a review date and print it. Earlier versions are kept.
Ready for inspection? Checks your last 4 weeks of records the way an inspector would (daily checks, fridges, sign-off, fixes for failed checks, review, training, allergens) and shows how many are ready.
Inspector's visits log. Write down each visit: date, type, officer and result.
Practice inspection. A free walk round of about 10 minutes, with questions for your type of business. For Scotland the app shows Pass / Improvement Required, and a "Put it right" list.
Allergen chart and labels. Every dish against the 14 allergens, a staff view on the kitchen tablet, and labels for food prepacked for direct sale, with allergens in bold.
Staff training records.
Inspector pack. Print all your records as one pack, or share them by secure link.
40 languages. Staff can use the app in their own language.

9. A fair price, on purpose

Chef Hygiene costs £2.99 a month per site in Scotland, and £1.99 a month per site for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops. Staff are unlimited, there is no contract, and there is a 14-day free trial.

We keep the price low on purpose. We want as many food businesses as possible, from a single food van to a busy restaurant, to keep good records and pass their inspections.

10. Less paper

A paper diary means printed sheets every day. One daily sheet per kitchen is 365 sheets a year, before you count delivery forms, cleaning rotas and training records. Digital records mean no record books to buy and fewer printed forms to throw away. That is less paper and less waste, and nothing to store in a back office.

11. FAQ

Do I legally need food safety records in Scotland?

Yes. You need procedures based on HACCP principles, with records that fit the size of your business (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5).

Are digital records accepted in Scotland?

Yes. Officers may inspect records in whatever form they are held (Food Safety Act 1990, section 32), and CookSafe says you can record electronically.

Do I have to use CookSafe?

No law requires it. It is the FSS guide that helps catering businesses build a HACCP-based system. You may use your own forms.

How long must I keep my records?

The law says "an appropriate period". CookSafe says your Enforcement Officer can advise. Ask your council.

What temperature must my fridge be?

Scotland has no legal chill temperature. CookSafe says 8°C or below controls most bacteria, and sets 5°C or below as the recommended setting.

What temperature must hot food be kept at?

Above 63°C, according to CookSafe. There is no 2-hour allowance below 63°C in Scotland.

What temperature should I reheat food to?

A core temperature of at least 82°C. Where that would spoil the food, 70°C for 2 minutes is the CookSafe alternative.

Do my staff need a food hygiene certificate?

No law requires one. For high-risk food handlers, CookSafe recommends a formal course, ideally within 3 months of starting.

When can ill staff return to work?

After 48 hours free of vomiting or diarrhoea. Some infections need formal exclusion and medical clearance first.

How often will I be inspected?

It depends on your risk score. In the 2019 Code, the highest-risk category is visited at least every 6 months, and category E, the lowest, gets alternative checks at least every 3 years.

What does Pass or Improvement Required mean?

Pass means you broadly met the legal requirements, including your management procedures. Improvement Required means you did not.

Do I have to display my FHIS certificate?

You get a certificate or sticker to show. The FSS pages do not say that showing it is a legal duty. Your result is published online either way.

Can I appeal my result?

Yes, in writing within 14 days of being told, weekends and holidays included.

Can I ask for a re-visit?

Yes, after an Improvement Required, once you have made the improvements. You get one follow-up visit between regular inspections. FSS says it costs nothing at the moment.

What allergen records do I need?

Information on the 14 allergens for every dish, and labels for food prepacked for direct sale.

Does Natasha's Law apply in Scotland?

Yes. Since 1 October 2021, food prepacked for direct sale must show its name and full ingredients, with allergens emphasised.

Do I need to register a food van or a home business?

Yes. Register with your local council at least 28 days before you open. It is free.

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in Scotland?

£2.99 a month per site, or £1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops, with unlimited staff, no contract and a 14-day free trial.

Can Chef Hygiene give me a Pass?

No. Only your council gives the result. Chef Hygiene helps you keep the records, fix problems and show your inspector everything.

12. Official sources

Chef Hygiene keeps your Scottish food safety records ready for every inspection: