Introduction
With Covid-19 now on the list of hazards that food businesses face, have you planned how you will protect food from this contamination?
When an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) visits your food premises, they have key areas on their mind influenced by The Food Hygiene Regulations 2005. When I teach Food Safety, these are discussed during training.
Key areas they will focus on include:
- The premises
- Business records
- Training
- Safety procedures particular to your business
Premises
As some managers tell me, by the time an EHO enters the premises, they have already had a look around the back.
The state of your premises is what’s known as a prerequisite when producing safe food. In other words, EHOs will expect you to keep the premises in good repair at all times. The state of your floors, walls and ceilings are part of the inspection.
- Are they in good repair and clean?
- Does their design lend itself to easy cleaning?
Although it isn’t against the law to use tiles, they are harder to clean long-term and bound to crack at some point — meaning dirt, bacteria and even pests will persist there. Stainless steel is ideal for work surfaces, but if you do use wood, it must be hard-wearing.
Let’s face it — if your place looks a mess, you’re hardly giving the inspector a good impression.
What should I choose?
- Hard wearing
- Non-porous
- Non-slip
- Light coloured
- Chemical resistant
- Coved edges
For further advice on flooring options, visit www.floortech.co.uk.
Your inspector will check:
- Running hot and cold water
- Adequate hand-wash facilities
- Proper drainage
- Effective extraction to reduce condensation
- Toilets in good repair
- Equipment that is easy to move and clean (e.g., chest freezers)
They will also check that your venue is secure from pests and that the outside perimeter, including bins, is tidy.
Summary: Your premises should be easy to clean and easy to keep clean.
Why? If not, it’s likely the premises itself will contaminate the food you produce — and allowing food to become contaminated is illegal.
Business Records
Any EHO will ask to see your records. Keeping records is vital to support any due diligence defence should you face prosecution and to mitigate enforcement action.
As we say in Health and Safety:
“If you don’t write it down, then it doesn’t happen.”
Having records of your procedures holds the business accountable, and without them, you would be operating illegally.
It’s a legal requirement to have a Food Safety Management System (HACCP).
For small catering businesses, Safer Food Better Business is ideal.
Keep food safety records separate from other health and safety records. It makes the inspection smoother and keeps your EHO happy.
An EHO reading through your records is essentially learning how your business operates. If the records don’t match what they see on site, you’ll have a problem (e.g., an out-of-date supplier list makes traceability impossible).
What kind of records should I keep?
- Suppliers’ list
- Training records
- Cleaning schedules
- Allergens and traceability
- Temperature checks
- Pest control measures
- Contamination controls
- Maintenance logs
These records form your HACCP system — a legal requirement.
Experienced EHOs can spot when records are contrived. Some documents are working records and should be completed daily as part of your routine.
Note: Food businesses must operate with Covid-19 measures in place, including a completed risk assessment and staff training.
Training
Training forms part of your business records and HACCP system, but it’s worth highlighting separately.
By law, food safety training is a requirement for all food handlers, and it must be commensurate to their job.
- Level 2 is adequate for most staff.
- Senior kitchen staff should have Level 3 Food Safety training to reflect their responsibilities.
The law requires training, not necessarily a qualification — so e-learning courses can be a cost-effective option. Training should be refreshed every 3 years.
Check out our food safety e-courses — you can even try a free module to explore the quality of the learning platform.
Many businesses simply file certificates, but real competence comes from ongoing training.
When I worked in hospitality management, I held short 15-minute staff meetings to:
- Remind staff to record fridge temperatures
- Remind customers to check allergen info
- Check for pest activity with torches in dry stores
These meetings were recorded and stored with training records.
If you need help providing short training sessions to staff, I can provide topic ideas and session formats to make them effective.
Food Safety Procedures
Put simply, this is what you and your staff actively do on shift to keep food safe from contamination.
During inspections, EHOs observe how staff work. They may also ask staff questions — which they should know the answers to if training is embedded properly.
What will they be looking for?
- Staff cleanliness and correct PPE
- Clear separation between raw and cooked foods
- Clean, organised fridges with stock control in evidence
- Dry storage areas clean and protected from contamination
- Adequate number of clean bins
- Cleaning chemicals suitable for use in food rooms and stored correctly
- Appropriate signage (e.g., handwash stations, chopping board use)
- Critical control points, especially temperature controls
- Suitable workflow (where achievable)
Conclusion
Environmental Health Officers must uphold the law. If they see sub-standard practices that could endanger food safety, they will take action.
- Improvement Notices
- Or even Closure
are among their powers.
Work with them and show a positive attitude as they enter.
If they find faults, you’ll often get the chance to fix them — so act quickly, and even invite them back to show your progress.
See the inspection as a challenge to maintain those 5 stars you’ve worked hard to achieve.
With good preparation, it will become part of your daily routine in no time.