What happens during a visit?
As part of their visits, they inspect the food business to make sure that the food hygiene laws are adhered to, and that the food produced is safe for consumption. The Environmental Health Officer will check how food dealt with within the facility. This will range from how food is delivered, stored, prepared, cooked, cooled and reheated. This would be detailed within a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan, which is one of the documents that an Environmental Health Officer will want to review to make sure that that the plan is followed.
What else may be looked at?
Other areas that would be reviewed by an EHO would be training records, pest control records and due diligence records for the catering facility. Poor management of these records can lead to a low rating due to a lack of confidence in the management of the premises.
Other than documentation, a site inspection is conducted to check for cleanliness, the overall layout to avoid cross contamination, lighting, ventilation, pest checks and other facilities such as washroom spaces.
Once both the inspection of the facility and the documentation has been reviewed a score is awarded. This is demonstrated by a number rating from 0-5 with 0 being the lowest score. These stickers can be displayed at the front of establishments, although these stickers are currently not mandatory to display in England.
What do the numbers mean?
The scale can be seen below, this shows what each score demonstrates once an inspection by an EHO has been concluded:
|
5 |
- Hygiene standards are very good |
|
4 |
- Hygiene standards are good |
|
3 |
- Hygiene standards are satisfactory |
|
2 |
- Some improvements are required |
|
1 |
- Major improvements are required |
|
0 |
- Urgent improvements are required |
When do I get my score?
This score is awarded at the end of a visit, and a document should also be provided with any potential improvements that are recommended. Even places with a 5 rating can have recommendations given but these are typically minor and do not change the overall rating. The reason for the rating is explained, but if a catering facility is not happy with a score, this can be reinspected by an EHO for a cost. Food hygiene ratings can also be found on the Food Standards Agency website by typing in the location and name of a premises.
This guide is of a general nature; specific advice can be obtained from Assurity Consulting.
Assurity Consulting is the UK's leading independent compliance consultancy specialising in workplace health, safety and environmental solutions. We have over 35 years' experience of helping customers of all sizes, from across all sectors, manage their compliance responsibilities, making sure that their organisation is compliant, their employees are safe, their processes are cost effective and their management team is in control.