New Year advice for retailers from Food Standards Agency ahead of 2026

With New Year round the corner, the FSA is helping independent retailers who sell or handle food to stay on top of food safety in the New Year with free, practical tools to help manage hygiene, allergens and recalls.

With 2026 close at hand, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is helping businesses, including independent retailers, who sell or handle food as part of their business.

The FSA is running the ‘Safer food means better business’ campaign to help food businesses manage food hygiene and safety with free, practical and easy-to-use tools, with the New Year campaign encouraging businesses to refresh their food safety knowledge after Christmas and prepare for the year ahead.

Why this matters

Good food safety helps protect customers, supports legal compliance and strengthens business reputation. The campaign focuses on simple actions that fit into day-to-day retail operations.

Key actions for food retailers

The FSA asks food businesses to take four core steps to stay on top of food safety. Involved in theor assets are the following:

• Complete free online training: Includes essential food hygiene and food allergy training for owners and staff.
• Use the Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) pack: Helps businesses understand and record food safety management procedures in line with legal requirements.
• Sign up for food alerts and recalls: Ensures businesses can act quickly during food safety incidents and protect customers.
• Stay up to date on allergen information: Includes guidance on providing written allergen information and using free FSA tools.

Additional support for common retail challenges

The New Year assets also include targeted guidance on:

• Pests and waste management – practical steps to reduce risks.
• Root cause analysis – tools to help prevent repeat food safety issues.
• Food recalls for corner shops – clear messaging to support rapid action.
• Selling food from home – advice for small and micro businesses.

Download the assets

All campaign assets are free to use and available in both English and Welsh. Co-branding options are available on request.

Image credit: stokkete/stock.adobe.com