SS&S v39-00005: are you still on the old template?
2 August 2026
The current version of MPI's Simply Safe & Suitable template Food Control Plan is v39-00005, and every business registered under the template needed to be working under it by 30 April 2026. That deadline has passed. Here's how to check which version you're running — and the calm, practical path if it turns out to be an old one.
When did v39-00005 become mandatory?
v39-00005 was issued on 29 August 2025, alongside an updated Food Notice that revoked the 2023 version. MPI's wording on the Steps to a Simply Safe and Suitable template food control plan page: "All food businesses registered under the FCP need to be working under the new plan by 30 April 2026." That date is now behind us — v39-00005 isn't an upgrade to schedule, it's the version you're expected to already be on.
How do I check which version I'm on?
Look at the version number printed on your plan's cards — check the card footers — and compare it with the current version stated on MPI's Steps page, which lists v39-00005 as current. If your cards read v39-00004 or earlier, you're on a superseded version.
A mixed set is possible too: when the update landed, v39-00004 users were allowed to swap only the individual cards that changed, so an up-to-date plan can legitimately contain cards you replaced alongside cards you kept.
What's new in v39-00005?
The headline addition is a new "Making biltong" specialist card. Beyond that, the changes are minor updates to several existing cards: checking your plan is working, self-supply water, sourcing and receiving, pest control, hot smoking and Chinese roast duck. The daily record-keeping routine is essentially unchanged — and the record blanks that support it were refreshed separately in February 2026.
Still on an old version? Here's what to do
Download the current plan from MPI's Steps page and switch. During the transition, v39-00004 users could replace the individual changed cards or the whole plan; businesses on v39-00001 or v39-00003 had to download the full new plan. With the deadline behind us, the simplest path is the full current plan.
MPI hasn't published a specific penalty for still being on an old version — but expect your verifier to raise it as a corrective action at your next verification visit if you haven't moved.
While you're updating, check your record blanks are the current February 2026 set too — our record blanks hub links every current file. And if the template shuffle has you rethinking paper, KitchenSorted's record-keeping diary for Simply Safe & Suitable plans covers the plan's daily records digitally, free to start.