Digitising Food Safety A Custom Mobile App Development Case Study

10,000+ downloads
Over 8m pieces of paper saved
100% FSA compliant

Apptaura was selected by All Environmental Health Services to develop SFBB+, a digital solution for food safety compliance designed to replace traditional paper-based systems for caterers and food businesses.

Read the Case Study

SFBB+ App

Food Safety Compliance at Your Fingertips

Records Digitised

The Client Challenge: Digitising the FSA Model

All Environmental Health Services approached Apptaura with a complex objective: digital transformation of the UK Food Standards Agency's (FSA) paper-heavy 'Safer Food, Better Business' model. The existing physical workflow was cumbersome, leading to lost records and compliance gaps for food businesses.

Our challenge was to translate a rigid, government-mandated paper trail into an intuitive, seamless mobile experience. We needed to engineer a solution that maintained strict regulatory compliance while significantly improving User Experience (UX) for busy kitchen staff who are often non-technical.

Our Technical Solution & Architecture

To deliver a robust, commercial-grade application capable of serving the UK's 125,000+ hospitality venues, Apptaura utilised a native development approach (Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android) backed by a Google Firebase infrastructure. We selected Firebase for its ability to handle massive concurrency and data synchronisation, ensuring that millions of compliance records can be securely stored and retrieved instantly—future-proofing the platform for years of growth.

Beyond standard data entry, we engineered advanced digital evidence tools. We utilised native camera APIs to allow chefs to instantly capture and store photographic evidence of supplier delivery notes and pest control certificates. These images are encrypted and stored alongside daily records, creating a complete, paperless compliance ecosystem that physical binders could never match.

Critically, we developed complex anti-fraud logic to protect the integrity of the data. The system generates unique history points for every temperature log and checklist entry, creating an immutable audit trail. This ensures that records cannot be backdated or falsified—a key requirement for Environmental Health Officers—providing total transparency and protecting business owners from liability.

The Results: Streamlining compliance for thousands of hospitality venues

By moving from physical binders to a cloud-based app, app users have reported saving 2 hours per week in their administration time. That's over 1,000,000 hours per year across the user base. The launch of SFBB+ successfully transitioned the FSA model into the digital age.

Key Features

  • Digital Record Keeping: Daily diaries, safe methods, and temperature checks stored on your device.
  • Compliance: Approved by enforcement bodies and based on the FSA's SFBB model.
  • Version Control & Organization: Keeps records in order and tracks changes.
  • Export & Sharing: Easily send your SFBB+ pack to inspectors or team members.
  • Additional Hygiene Records: Scan and store certificates, pest checks, delivery notes, and PDFs.
  • Multi-User & Multi-Premise: Manage multiple users and sites at no extra cost.

Efficiency & Time-Saving

Digitizing records eliminates printing and filing, saving businesses hours every week.

Enhanced Compliance

Structured workflows help maintain and improve food hygiene ratings, pleasing Environmental Health Officers.

Accessibility & Convenience

Records are always available on smartphones and tablets, even offline during inspections.

Environmental Sustainability

Reducing paper use contributes to greener operations for small businesses.

Why Choose Apptaura for Compliance Software?

The SFBB+ project highlights Apptauras expertise in developing applications for highly regulated industries. We understand that building software for health, safety, and compliance requires more than just coding skills; it demands a deep understanding of security, data accuracy, and audit trails.

Whether you need to digitise a paper workflow, integrate Bluetooth hardware, or ensure strict compliance standards, our team in Hampshire delivers enterprise-grade mobile solutions that drive efficiency.

Development Approach

Apptaura follows a client-focused methodology to deliver robust, high-quality mobile applications while ensuring clients retain full ownership of the code.

Discovery & Requirements

Gather needs, hardware specs, and workflows to set a clear project foundation.

Architecture Design

Design a robust BLE communication architecture tailored to SFBB+ requirements.

Prototype Development

Build a working prototype to validate core features and user experience.

Full Development

Implement the complete SFBB+ app in Swift and Kotlin with clean, maintainable code.

Testing & Optimization

Test across devices and conditions to ensure performance, reliability, and battery efficiency.

Deployment & Support

Assist with App Store submissions and provide ongoing maintenance and support.