SFBB vs NCASS: Which Food Safety System Actually Suits Your Business?

SFBB vs NCASS: Which Food Safety System Actually Suits Your Business?

If you run a food business in the UK. whether that's a burger van, a street food stall, a pop-up kitchen or a small cafe. you need a documented food safety management system. That's the law. No ifs, no buts. It has to be based on HACCP principles, it has to be up to date, and an Environmental Health Officer needs to be able to see it when they turn up.

The two names you'll hear over and over again are SFBB (Safer Food Better Business) and NCASS (Nationwide Caterers Association). One is free. One costs money. And that's usually where most people stop thinking about it.

But cost alone doesn't tell you much. This page looks at what each one actually gives you, where the gaps are, and which makes more sense depending on your situation.

What Is SFBB?

SFBB stands for Safer Food Better Business. It's a food safety management pack created by the Food Standards Agency and you can download it from their website for nothing.

It was designed for small food businesses that don't have a food safety consultant on speed dial. The idea is simple: instead of writing your own HACCP system from scratch, you fill in pre-written safe method sheets and keep a daily diary of anything out of the ordinary. That's your documented system sorted.

There are different packs depending on your business type. caterers, retailers, childminders, residential care homes, even cuisine-specific ones for Chinese and Indian restaurants. The caterers pack is the one most mobile food traders end up using.

What's in the SFBB Pack

Each pack is built around the "4 Cs". cross-contamination, cleaning, chilling and cooking. plus a management section. Inside you'll find roughly 20 safe method sheets covering things like cooking temperatures, reheating, personal hygiene, pest control and deliveries. Not all of them apply to every business, so you pick the ones relevant to your operation.

Then there's the diary. You're expected to fill it in daily (takes a couple of minutes) noting anything different that happened. a fridge playing up, a delivery that arrived warm, a new supplier. There's also a 4-weekly review section and space for staff training records.

What SFBB Costs

The download is free. Always has been. You print it, stick it in a folder, and you're away.

If you want a physical pre-printed pack, some councils and training providers sell them for around £25. There's also an SFBB+ app that went digital a few years back. that comes with a monthly subscription fee after an initial trial.

Where SFBB Falls Short

Here's the thing nobody mentions on the FSA website: SFBB only covers food safety. That's it. Nothing on health and safety. Nothing on fire safety. Nothing about insurance, trading licences, allergen labelling in any real depth, or the dozen other bits of compliance a food vendor actually needs.

The allergen section is basic. one safe method sheet. which may not cut it if you handle a wide range of allergens or sell prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) items under Natasha's Law.

There's also no built-in update system. The FSA updates their website when things change, but the SFBB documents themselves stay static. Unless you're actively checking for updates, you might not realise something has shifted until an EHO points it out at inspection.

And if your printed pack gets soaked, torn or lost (which happens constantly on the road), you're starting from scratch. There's no backup unless you've gone digital.

What Is NCASS?

NCASS is the Nationwide Caterers Association. They've been around since 1987, supporting independent food and drink businesses across the UK. Over 6,500 members at last count.

Unlike SFBB, which is just a document pack, NCASS is a membership body. You pay an annual fee and get access to their Safety Management System (SMS), training, insurance products, legal support, a digital compliance app, a dedicated account manager and a stack of partner discounts.

Their SMS is the direct competitor to SFBB. but it goes further. Where SFBB covers food safety alone, the NCASS system covers food safety, health and safety, and fire safety in one package.

NCASS Membership Tiers

Standard membership sits at £305 per year. That's the entry point for single-site businesses and new starters. They also offer Premium (up to 5 units), Premium Plus (6+ units) and Pro tiers for larger operations.

Every tier includes the digital Safety Management System, a dedicated account manager, compliance resources, 25+ partner discounts, and training credits ranging from £550 to £3,000 depending on your level. Standard members also get a £100 Booker voucher on joining.

What's in the NCASS Safety Management System

The SMS comes with a bound compliance manual covering food safety, health and safety, and fire safety requirements. On top of that you get a digital risk assessment tool. it's HACCP-based, so you input your food processes and it generates your assessments automatically. Those are saved on your member dashboard, so there's always a backup.

Daily diary records are structured for 12 months: temperature checks, delivery verification, cleaning logs, maintenance records, accident investigation forms. It's more detailed than the SFBB diary but still manageable day to day.

You also get cleaning plans, gas safety checklists, allergen matrices, and policy templates. The allergen section alone is substantially more thorough than SFBB's single page.

The Digital App

All members get free access to the NCASS digital app. It works offline (handy if you're trading in a field with zero signal), lets you upload photos as evidence, and generates compliance reports automatically. SFBB's digital option, the SFBB+ app, requires a separate paid subscription.

Training

NCASS offers food hygiene certification at Levels 1, 2 and 3. all City & Guilds approved. Members get 40-85% off course fees. They also run allergen awareness, HACCP, health and safety, first aid, fire extinguisher and LPG gas safety courses.

If you're starting from zero, there's a dedicated "How to Start Up in Street Food" course that walks you through the whole process.

Insurance

NCASS Insurance is a separate but linked company offering tailored policies for mobile caterers, food trucks, tuk-tuks, trailers, market stalls, pop-ups, cafes and restaurants. Coverage includes public liability, legal expenses, business interruption, breakdown, equipment and premises insurance.

This is a genuine differentiator. SFBB doesn't touch insurance. If you're trading at events, most organisers want to see £5-10 million public liability cover. NCASS can sort that as part of your membership ecosystem.

Support and Recognition

Every member gets a dedicated account manager and same-day support for urgent questions.

NCASS holds Primary Authority partnerships with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Monmouthshire County Council. In plain English, that means their guidance has been formally reviewed and approved by those councils. so when your local EHO sees NCASS documentation, they know it's already been checked at source. Over 450 Environmental Health Officers across 250+ local authorities recognise NCASS membership and documentation.

Side-by-Side: SFBB vs NCASS

The Cost Question: Is Free Actually Cheaper?

SFBB is free to download. But "free" has hidden costs that add up fast when you're running a real business.

Printing and binding the full caterers pack runs to 100+ pages. Do that a couple of times a year (because packs get wrecked on the road) and you're spending money for a system that doesn't include half of what you need.

Training isn't included with SFBB. A Level 2 food hygiene course from a third-party provider typically costs £50-£100 per person. NCASS members get 40-85% off.

Insurance has to be sourced separately. NCASS members report saving on average by bundling insurance through the association.

The SFBB+ digital app requires a monthly subscription. NCASS includes their digital app at no extra cost.

Booker voucher. standard NCASS members get £100 on joining. Premium tiers get £200.

Partner discounts on Nisbets, Calor Gas, Amazon Business and others can stack up quickly if you're buying equipment and supplies regularly.

NCASS claims members save over £500 in the first year through bundled discounts and training. That assumes you'd otherwise be buying separate training (£100-200), sourcing insurance independently (£200-400) and purchasing supplies at full price. If you're not planning additional training or haven't priced insurance yet, the real first-year saving will be lower. but the £305 fee still starts looking reasonable once you tally up what you'd spend piecemeal without it.

Over three years, the maths shifts further. SFBB with replacement printing might cost you £100-150 total but gives you food safety documentation only. NCASS at £915 over the same period gives you the full compliance stack, ongoing training credits and support.

Which One Suits Your Business?

There's no universal answer, but here's a practical breakdown.

Go with SFBB if...

You're testing the waters. Maybe you're doing a few markets a month or running a small seasonal operation. Your budget is tight, you're comfortable managing your own compliance, and food safety is genuinely the only compliance area you need documented right now. SFBB gives you a legal food safety management system at zero cost. It does that job well.

Go with NCASS if...

You're trading regularly. events, markets, festivals, permanent pitch, whatever. You need more than just food safety ticked off. You want health and safety, fire safety, insurance, training discounts and someone to call when an EHO turns up with questions you can't answer. If you're doing events, the fact that NCASS can submit your documentation to organisers on your behalf is a genuine time saver.

The £305 makes sense when you're serious about this being a proper business rather than a hobby with a fryer.

Starting a new food business?

If you're brand new, SFBB is a perfectly good place to begin. Get your food safety documentation in order, do your Level 2 food hygiene, register with your local council. Once you're trading regularly, look at NCASS. The broader compliance coverage and support network become worth it quickly.

Running multiple units?

NCASS Premium or Premium Plus tiers are designed for this. Managing compliance across several sites or vehicles with paper SFBB packs is a headache you don't need. The digital dashboard and centralised risk assessments make a real difference at scale.

Compliance and Legal: What the Law Actually Requires

Every UK food business must have a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles. That's required under the Food Safety Act 1990 and retained EU Regulation 852/2004. Both SFBB and NCASS satisfy this requirement.

However. and this is the bit people miss. food safety isn't the only legal obligation. If you employ staff or interact with the public, you have health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. If you work with LPG gas (and most mobile caterers do), you need gas safety documentation. If you're in a fixed premises, fire safety regulations apply.

SFBB covers one of these. NCASS covers all three in a single system. That doesn't mean SFBB users are breaking the law. it means they need to source health and safety and fire safety documentation separately. In practice, plenty of traders don't get round to it, which leaves a compliance blind spot that some EHOs will flag.

Allergen Compliance

Since Natasha's Law came into force in October 2021, any food business selling prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) must include full ingredient and allergen labelling. SFBB's allergen guidance is a single safe method sheet. NCASS provides detailed allergen matrices integrated into their risk assessment tools. If allergens are a significant part of your operation, the NCASS approach is noticeably more robust.

What Environmental Health Officers Actually Think

Both systems are widely recognised. An EHO turning up at your unit will accept either SFBB or NCASS SMS as your documented food safety management system.

That said, NCASS has an edge in formal recognition. Their Primary Authority partnerships with Greenwich and Monmouthshire mean their advice is officially registered. They also run NCASS Connect. a platform that lets EHOs verify member documentation and compliance status directly. Over 450 EHOs across 250+ councils use it.

From a practical standpoint, a well-maintained SFBB pack will get you through an inspection just fine. But an NCASS SMS with its broader coverage and digital audit trail gives inspectors confidence that you've got your house in order beyond just food safety.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SFBB mandatory?

No. You must have a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles, but it doesn't have to be SFBB specifically. SFBB, NCASS SMS, or any other compliant system will satisfy the legal requirement.

Can I use both SFBB and NCASS?

Technically yes, but there's not much point. NCASS SMS already covers everything SFBB does and more. If you're paying for NCASS membership, their system replaces SFBB entirely.

Do I still need a food hygiene certificate?

Yes. Your food safety management system (whether SFBB or NCASS) is your documented procedures. A food hygiene certificate proves you've been trained. Most councils expect at least a Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate for anyone handling food. NCASS offers these at a discount; SFBB doesn't include training.

How long does setup take?

SFBB can be set up in an afternoon if you sit down and properly fill in the relevant safe method sheets. NCASS takes a bit longer initially because the risk assessment tool is more detailed, but once it's done your ongoing daily records are straightforward.

What if I'm just doing a one-off event?

SFBB is probably sufficient for a one-off. Download it, fill in the relevant sections, print it. But check with the event organiser. many require specific documentation, insurance and sometimes NCASS membership.

Does NCASS cover Scotland and Northern Ireland?

NCASS operates UK-wide. However, food safety regulations differ slightly across the devolved nations. Scotland uses its own free guidance called CookSafe (published by Food Standards Scotland. similar concept to SFBB), and Northern Ireland has Safe Catering. SFBB is specifically for England and Wales.

Can I just write my own food safety system instead?

Legally, yes. There's no requirement to use SFBB, NCASS or any branded system. You can write your own HACCP-based documentation from scratch. The catch is that it needs to be thorough enough to satisfy an EHO, which means understanding HACCP principles properly. Most small operators find it far easier to use a pre-built system that regulators already recognise rather than reinventing the wheel.

Can I switch from SFBB to NCASS mid-year?

Absolutely. There's no lock-in with SFBB. it's just paperwork. If you sign up for NCASS, you'll build your risk assessments fresh using their digital tool. Your existing SFBB diary records are still valid for the period they cover, so you're not losing anything by switching.

The Bottom Line

SFBB is a solid, free tool that does exactly what it says. it helps you document food safety. For a small, straightforward operation, it's a perfectly reasonable choice.

NCASS costs money but gives you a compliance ecosystem: food safety, health and safety, fire safety, insurance access, training, expert support and digital tools all in one membership. For anyone treating their food business as a genuine going concern, the broader coverage and ongoing support justify the annual fee.

The right choice depends on where you are right now and where you're heading. Start with SFBB if budget is everything. Move to NCASS when you want to stop worrying about compliance gaps and focus on actually running your business.

Last updated: February 2026

This content is for informational purposes. Always verify current pricing and features directly with the FSA and NCASS.