Spirit drinks industry guide published

A new industry guide to good hygiene practice for spirit drinks is available to order from The Stationery Office (TSO). Produced by industry, on behalf of the Scotch Whisky Association, the guide aims to help processors to comply with food safety and hygiene law. The guide is recognised by the Food Standards Agency.

What the guide provides

The guide, which can be bought via the ‘External sites’ links on this page, covers the activities carried out within businesses producing spirit drinks of more than 15% alcohol by volume and alcoholic beverages and liquors that contain distilled spirit as an ingredient. This guide gives comprehensive information of the principles behind hazard analysis, details current legal requirements, how to comply with the legislation and practical advice on good practice. This guide is intended to assist food business operators to meet the legal requirements.

Use of the guide is voluntary

The use of the guide is voluntary. There is no legal requirement for food businesses to follow the advice contained in it. Businesses may demonstrate compliance with the hygiene legislation in other ways. However, where a food business operator is following the guidance in a recognised industry guide, such as this one, the enforcement authority must take this into account when assessing compliance with the legislation.

Other industry guides

The full list of recognised industry guides, for a number of different industry sectors, can be found via the link below.