Hygiene Inspections
This page will cover what hygiene inspections are, why they are important for your business and how best to prepare for them.
There are legal requirements you must comply with when trading in street food. All caterers have a responsibility to ensure they are operating safely for themselves, staff, customers and the general public.
Hygiene inspections are one way this is ensured. Environmental Health Officers will be required to visit and inspect your premises and subsequently award the business with a rating between 0 (poor) and five (excellent).
A five star food hygiene rating is an advert for the cleanliness of the business and a testament to the care you take. It immediately tells customers and event organisers they can trust you – so they’re more likely to eat your food / book you for events, making the business more profitable.
What does a hygiene inspection consist of?
EHOs are responsible for enacting measures to protect public health. This includes the administration and enforcement of relevant legislation to ensure the correct standards are maintained and the food is safe to eat.
Quite simply, an EHO is inspecting to see that your food production follows due hygienic procedures.
They work according to the food safety code of practice guidelines and appraise your business against these criteria: Food Hygiene and Safety Procedures, Structural Requirements and Confidence in Management.
What will an EHO look for?
EHOs will assess the cleanliness of your premises, observe how you prepare food, how you manage allergens and the hygiene principles on display of both staff and operation.
They will also look at any spatial hazards, your risk assessments and food safety management system which need to be up to date and accurately reflect the running of the business.
Preparing for an inspection
Depending on the level of risk a business poses, an EHO inspection is required every six months to three years. The better rating a business has, the less frequent inspections will be. This in itself is an incentive to strive for as high a rating as possible.
Hygiene inspections are not pre-arranged, so you should make sure you are always prepared by running things to the highest standard.
The Nationwide Caterers Association have a pre-inspection checklist that walks you through a comprehensive check of everything an EHO will want to inspect – download it free here.
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