In the UK, the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS), overseen by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), evaluates businesses on their hygiene standards. A Level 5 food hygiene rating not only helps protect your customers but also bolsters your reputation.
Here are our top eight tips to keep the EHO happy and get yourself a Level 5 Food Hygiene Rating on your door.
1. Implement a Food Safety System
A Food Safety Management System is simply your approach to managing the food safety risks in your business. An effective system should cover every aspect of food safety from sourcing and deliveries to preparation, cooking, storage, and serving.
Key elements of a traditional Food Safety System include:
- Daily Kitchen and Front of House Checks & Procedures
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) & Risk Assessments
- Reports – Pest, Food Incidents, Training
- Regular Audits and Inspections
A Digital Food Safety System can combine all of these into one easy-to-use system, where you can log and store key procedures daily.
Monitor and Record Easily
With a Digital Food Safety App, you can log cleaning schedules, temperature checks, stock rotation, and staff training records in one place. These systems allow you to access your data quickly and provide inspectors with instant documentation, saving you time and effort. You can set automated reminders for important tasks, ensuring nothing is missed.
Ensure Compliance
Digital systems can help you monitor your business in real time and flag any areas of non-compliance. This way, you can correct issues before they escalate, helping you stay compliant year-round.
For more information on how our system can streamline your food safety procedures take a look at our system: https://foodsafetyguru.co.uk/
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2. Train Your Staff!
Your staff’s knowledge and practices around food safety are essential to staying compliant with hygiene standards. Inspectors will be looking to see that every staff member has adequate food safety training.
Training Programmes
Each of your staff must have completed at least a Level 2 Food Safety course. This ensures they understand the fundamentals of safe food handling, from preventing contamination to proper storage. For more advanced roles, consider the Level 3 Food Safety course, and further training on allergen management.
For discounted courses that we trust and recommend visit: https://foodsafetyguru.co.uk/food-safety-training/
Keep Your Staff Risk Aware!
Ensure all your staff have read and understood your HACCP and risk assessments. Keep an up-to-date log of all completed training sessions for each staff member, so when the inspector arrives you can prove that everyone is up to date.
Our HACCP is Primary Authority Assured, and is regularly updated with any essential information every month – alerting you to any key changes in government legislation.
3. Implement Strict Cleaning Protocols
Cleanliness is at the core of food safety. During an inspection, dirty kitchens, sinks, equipment, or prep areas can lead to poor ratings—or even immediate closure.
Create a Detailed Cleaning Schedule
Establish a cleaning schedule that clearly outlines daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Daily tasks should include cleaning and sanitising prep surfaces, floors, and equipment, while deeper tasks like oven cleaning or disinfecting storage areas can be done weekly or monthly. Use checklists to track completion and ensure nothing is missed.
Best Cleaning Practices – Two Stage Cleaning
We recommend implanting a two stage cleaning process for cleaning surfaces during service. When food is being prepared, no cloths (other than oven cloths) are to be used on the work surfaces.
- Spray the surface with sanitiser and wipe with blue roll to clean
- Spray again with sanitiser and wait for the contact time (30 seconds) and dry with clean blue roll.
Keep blue roll in dispensers to avoid contaminating the roll with dirty hands. All your staff should know the contact time required for your sanitiser, and the two-stage method – the EHO will ask!
4. Prevent Cross Contamination
Cross-contamination is a common issue that can quickly lead to foodborne illnesses. Ensuring that raw and cooked foods are separated and handled properly is key to avoiding this problem.
Separate Prep Areas
Where possible, have distinct preparation areas for raw and cooked foods. Use colour-coded chopping boards and utensils to further prevent cross-contamination between different types of foods, such as raw meat and vegetables. If this is not feasible, prepare the raw foods first, then clean and sanitise the table so it can be used for ready to eat foods.
Proper Food Storage
Always store raw food, especially meat, below cooked or ready-to-eat items in the fridge. This prevents any liquids from raw products from dripping onto foods that won’t be cooked further, reducing the risk of contamination.
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5. Focus on Proper Food Storage
Proper food storage is key to preventing spoilage and contamination, something inspectors will scrutinise closely.
Temperature Control
Keep your refrigerators below 5°C and freezers at -18°C or lower to prevent bacteria from growing on food. Use accurate thermometers and check temperatures regularly, keeping logs of all checks.
FIFO (First In, First Out)
Adopt the FIFO stock rotation method, ensuring that older food is used first. Label all food with the USE BY date and ensure that stock is rotated regularly.
No Food on Floors!
Ensure all your food is stored above the floor on racks, that are washable – ideally stainless steel. If you have wooden storage you’ll need to paint it with waterproof, washable paint.
6. Personal Hygiene is Key
Personal hygiene is a non-negotiable aspect of food safety, and inspectors will look to see that staff are adhering to the highest standards.
Hand Washing
Ensure your hand wash basins are being used! Keep them clear and labelled so that they’re used for hand washing only! Handwashing stations should be easily accessible, stocked with soap and blue paper towels in a dispenser nearby. Staff should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds under warm running water.
Make sure that all staff are washing their hands properly and frequently, especially after handling raw food, using the restroom, or touching their face.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Staff should wear appropriate protective clothing such as hats, gloves, and aprons to reduce the risk of contamination. PPE should be changed regularly, especially after handling raw ingredients or performing cleaning tasks.
Gloves or No Gloves?
Gloves are great for customer facing roles however they need changing regularly!
7. Maintain Equipment and Facilities
Broken or poorly maintained equipment can compromise food safety and result in your business being flagged by an inspector.
Routine Maintenance
Establish a maintenance schedule for all kitchen equipment, from refrigerators and ovens to dishwashers and mixers. Regularly service equipment to ensure it functions correctly and doesn’t present a food safety risk.
All surfaces should be waterproof and washable – any exposed wood should be painted with waterproof paint.
Pest Control
Incorporate a pest control plan to prevent infestations, which can severely damage your hygiene rating. Work with a professional pest control service to conduct regular inspections and train your staff on spotting the signs of an infestation.
For more on how our pest control plans can help keep you compliant book a demo here:
8. Keep Detailed Records
Documentation is key in proving that your food safety practices are being followed correctly. Inspectors will want to see detailed records covering every aspect of your food safety procedures. A digital food safety system can be invaluable in providing a single place for all of your documentation for the EHO.
Record Keeping
Maintain thorough logs of your cleaning schedules, temperature checks, equipment maintenance, and staff training. Use checklists to ensure nothing is overlooked. A Digital Food Safety System can streamline this process by keeping all your documentation organised and easily accessible.
Preparing for Inspections
When an inspection is imminent, being prepared with all documentation can make the process smooth. With a Digital Food Safety App, you can quickly pull up any required logs, giving inspectors confidence in your processes.
How Food Safety Guru Can Help
Applying the
se tips can significantly improve your chances of passing a food hygiene inspection, but keeping track of everything can be overwhelming. Food Safety Guru offers a Digital Food Safety System that simplifies the process by allowing you to monitor and manage food safety tasks in real-time. Our Digital Food Safety App ensures your records are up to date, helping you stay compliant with regulations and ready for inspections.
By using Food Safety Guru, you’ll have all your food safety records in one place, making inspections easier and more efficient. We understand how challenging it can be to keep on top of food safety, especially in a busy kitchen, so we’ve created a system that works for you.
For more information on how we can help your business, contact us today for a free demo.