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Safer food

bet ter business

for caterers

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Working with food?

What you need to know

before you start

It is easy for you to spread bacteria to food without realising.

These bacteria are invisible and could make customers ill.

Your personal hygiene is important.

This is what you need to do to keep food safe:

Before you start working with food

Always wash your

hands

Wear clean clothes Wear an apron if

handling unwrapped

food

Tell your manager

if you have vomiting

or diarrhoea and do

not work with food

Take off your watch and jewellery It is a good idea to tie hair back and wear a hat or

hairnet

When you are working with food

No smoking

No eating or drinking Avoid touching your

face, coughing or

sneezing over food

Cover cuts with a

brightly coloured

waterproof dressing

Washing hands effectively

Step 1: Wet your

hands thoroughly

under warm running

water and squirt liquid

soap onto your palm

Step 2: Rub your

hands together palm

to palm to make a

lather

Step 3: Rub the palm

of one hand along

the back of the other

and along the ﬁngers.

Repeat with the other

hand

Step 4: Put your

palms together with

ﬁngers interlocked

and rub in between

each of the ﬁngers

thoroughly

Step 5: Rub around

your thumbs on each

hand and then rub

the ﬁngertips of each

hand against your

palms

Step 6: Rinse off

the soap with clean

water and dry your

hands thoroughly on a

disposable towel. Turn

off the tap with the

towel and then throw

the towel away

When to wash hands

Before touching any

food, especially ready-

to-eat food

After going to the

toilet

After every break After touching raw

meat, poultry, ﬁsh,

eggs or unwashed

vegetables

After touching a

cut or changing a

dressing

After touching or

emptying bins

After any cleaning After touching

phones, light switches,

door handles and cash

registers

How to use this pack

Welcome to Safer food,

better business for caterers

Is this pack for me This pack is for small catering businesses such as restaurants,

cafés and takeaways.

It has been developed by the Food Standards Agency,

working with catering businesses, to be practical and

easy to use.

How does this pack help me comply with the

law?

Food safety and hygiene regulations say that you must be

able to show what you do to sell food that is safe to eat

and have this written down. The pack helps you do this.

This pack is based on the principles of HACCP (hazard

analysis and critical control point), but you will not ﬁnd

words such as ‘HACCP’ or ‘hazard’ in the pack because

we have cut out all the jargon.

Who should take charge of the pack? The person who is responsible for the day-to-day running

of the business is the best person to work through the

pack.

It is a good idea to involve other staff to help the pack

work in your business.

How does the pack work?

The pack contains sheets for you to work through and

complete. These are called ‘safe methods’.

It also contains a diary for you to ﬁll in every day and

write down anything different that happens, including

anything that goes wrong.

Defrosting

Safety points Why? How do you do this

4.Oryoucoulddefrostfoodin

themicrowaveonthe

‘defrost’ setting.

This is a fast way to defrost food.

Do you use this method? Yes

Which foods do you

defrost in this way?

5. If necessary you could defrost

food at room temperature.

Follow the manufacturer’s

defrosting instructions. Food

should be left out at room

temperature for the shortest

time possible. Ideally, defrost

these foods in the fridge.

Foods will defrost quite quickly at room

temperature, but harmful bacteria

could grow in food if it gets too warm

while defrosting.

Do you use this method? Yes

Which foods do you

defrost in this way?

6.Ifyouhaveanothermethodofdefrosting,writethedetailshere: Which foods do you defrost in

this way?

Think twice!

Keepmeat/poultryseparatefromotherfoodwhenitisdefrosting,topreventcross-contamination.Oncefoodhas

been defrosted you should use it immediately (within one day).

Check it Why? How do you do this?

When you

think food has

defrosted, it is

important

to check to make

sure.

The outside may

look defrosted

but the inside

could still be

frozen.

1. Check for ice crystals in the

food using your hand or a skewer.

Do you use this check? Yes

2. With birds, check the joints

are ﬂexible.

Do you use this check? Yes

3. If you use another check, write the details here:

What to do if things go wrong How to stop this happening again

• Iffoodhasnotfullydefrosted,continuetodefrost

the food until no ice crystals are left. Test again

before cooking or reheating.

• Speedupthedefrostingprocesse.g.byusingcold

wateroramicrowave(seethefrontofthissheet).

• Useanalternativemenuitem.Ifyoudonothave

time to defrost for longer, replace the dish with a

similardishthatisreadytoserve.

• Changeyourdefrostingmethodandmakeitsafer,

e.g. defrost smaller amounts.

• Makesureyouallowenoughtimetodefrost.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

• Ifyoudefrostlotsoffoodinyourbusinessyou

may wish to consider creating extra fridge space or using

a special defrosting cabinet.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Defrosting

Harmful bacteria can grow in food that

is not defrosted properly.

Safety points Why? How do you do this?

Food should be thoroughly

defrosted before cooking

(unless the manufacturer’s

instructions tell you to cook

fromfrozenoryouhavea

provensafemethod).

If food is still frozen or partially frozen, it

will take longer to cook.

The outside of the food could be

cooked, but the centre might not be,

which means it could contain harmful

bacteria.

Do you check food is thoroughly

defrosted before cooking?

Yes

If not, what do you do?

Options for defrosting food

1.Ideally,planaheadtoleave

enough time and space to

defrost small amounts of food

in the fridge.

Puttingfoodinthefridgewillkeepitat

a safe temperature while it is defrosting.

Do you use this method? Yes

How much time do you

allow for defrosting?

2. If you cannot defrost food in

the fridge, you could put it in

a container and then place it

under cold running water.

Cold water will

help to speed

up defrosting

without

allowing the

outside of the

food to get too

warm.

Do you use this method? Yes

Which foods do you

defrost in this way?

3. If you use the sink to defrost

some foods, make sure the

sink is clean and empty. The

sink should be cleaned and

then disinfected after being

used for defrosting.

Cold water will help speed

up defrosting.

Do you use this method? Yes

Which foods do you

defrost in this way?

How to use the safe methods

The ‘Safety point’ column highlights things that are

important to make food safely.

The ‘Why?’ column tells you why the safety point is

important.

The ‘How do you do this?’ column is for you to write

down what you do.

In some places you only need to tick a box and in

other places write a small amount.

Pictures help to illustrate the safety points.

Sometimes the pictures are marked with one of these symbols:

Some safe methods have a ‘Check it’ section, which

tells you what to look for to make sure your method

has worked.

= right = wrong

The ‘What to do if things go wrong’ column gives

practical tips on how to tackle problems.

The ‘How to stop this happening again’ column tells

you how you can prevent problems.

If things go wrong, write down what happened

and what you did in your diary. Each safe method

reminds you to do this.

Front

Back

Diary pages

Week commencing:

Monday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks

Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

/ /

Tuesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks

Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Thursday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks

Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Saturday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks

Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Extra checks

We have performed the following extra checks this

week.

Opening checks

Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Wednesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks

Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Friday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks

Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Sunday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks

Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

How to use the diary

The diary should be ﬁlled in every day by the person responsible for running the business. There is also a

4-weekly review so you can look back at previous weeks and identify any persistent problems.

Fill in the date at the start of the week.

Each day, tick here to say you have completed your

Opening checks and your Closing checks – see the

Management section for more information on these.

Each day, write your name and sign to say that all the

safe methods have been followed.

If anything different happens or something goes

wrong, make a note of it under the appropriate day.

If you do any Extra checks, make a note in the section

at the end of the week – see the Management

section for more information on these.

Questions

What do I do next?

Work through the pack one section at a time and complete

all the safe methods that are relevant to your business. It

will take you about one hour to complete a section. We

suggest you do one section at a time, for example one a

week. So that is just one hour of your time to get started.

When you have worked through all the sections, make sure

you and your staff:

• follow the safe methods all the time

• ll in the diary every day

How do I use the ‘Working with food?’ factsheet

and the DVD with the pack?

Use the ‘Working with food?’ factsheet to train your staff on

good personal hygiene on their ﬁrst day at work. It has been

designed to help overcome language difﬁculties.

There are videos available online to help you use the pack

and train your staff, and there are 16 languages for you to

choose from. You do not have to work through the videos

to use the pack in your business, but it will help you do this.

This and other helpful videos are available at

food.gov.uk/foodindustry/caterers

How will I beneﬁt from using this pack?

Using the pack in your business will help you to:

• comply with food hygiene regulations

• show what you do to make food safely

• train staff

• protect your business’s reputation

• improve your business, e.g. by wasting less food

Do I need to keep lots of daily records?

No, you do not need lots of daily records. Once you have

worked through the pack and completed all the relevant

safe methods, you only need to ﬁll in the diary each day.

This should take just one minute, unless you have

something special to write down.

It is a legal requirement to keep a record of what food

products you have bought, who you bought them from, the

quantity and the date. Usually the easiest way to do this is

to keep all your invoices and receipts.

Questions

Do I need to use a temperature probe?

You can use this pack in your business without using a

temperature probe. However, if you use methods or checks

for cooking, reheating, hot holding or chilling that are

different to what is recommended in the pack, you will

need to use a probe to prove that what you do is safe. You

may also like to use a probe for extra reassurance that your

methods are safe. See the ‘Prove it’ safe method in the

Management section.

Where can I get more information?

For more information on food safety, talk to the

environmental health service at your local authority or visit

food.gov.uk/foodindustry/caterers

For details of Food Standards Agency publications, visit

food.gov.uk or call 0845 606 0667.

About this guidance

This guidance follows the Government Code of Practice on Guidance. If you believe this guidance

breaches the Code for any reason, or if you have any comments on the guidance, please contact us at

FoodBusinessHygiene@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

This guidance was originally published in September 2005. The most recent update is April 2012 and it will be

reviewed again in April 2015.

The material featured in this publication is subject to Crown copyright protection unless otherwise indicated.

You may re-use the information in the SFBB pack (not including the Food Standards Agency logos and photographs

that are the copyright of a third party) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open

Government Licence at: nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/

This is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material

must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and the source identiﬁed as the Food Standards Agency.

Any enquiries regarding the use and re-use of this information resource should be emailed to:

psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk

Or you can write to:

Information Policy Team

The National Archives

Kew

London

TW9 4DU

The permission to reproduce Crown protected material does not extend to any material in this publication which

is the copyright of a third party. Authorisation to reproduce such material must be obtained from the copyright

holders concerned. Please note that some of the images in this resource are third party copyright, therefore you do

not have permission to re-use them.

Note that the Agency has produced supporting guidance about the use and re-use of SFBB, which can be found at:

food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/guidancelaadaptingsfbb.pdf

Cross-contamination

Cleaning

Chilling

Cooking

Management

Diary

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Cross-contamination

Cross-contamination is one of the most common causes of food poisoning.

It happens when harmful bacteria are spread onto food from other food,

surfaces, hands or equipment.

These harmful bacteria often come from raw meat/poultry, ﬁsh, eggs and

unwashed vegetables. So it is especially important to handle these foods

carefully.

Other sources of bacteria can include:

• staff

• pests

• equipment

• cloths

• dirt or soil

When you handle raw and ready-to-eat food in your business you may need

to consider extra procedures to help keep the food you produce safe. More

information can be found at: food.gov.uk/ecoliguide

Do not forget that you should also protect food from ‘physical contamination’

(where objects get into food, e.g. broken glass or pieces of packaging) and

‘chemical contamination’ (where chemicals get into food, e.g. cleaning

products or pest control chemicals).

This section also includes information on food allergies.

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Safe method:

Personal hygiene

It is vital for staff to follow good personal hygiene

practices to help prevent bacteria from spreading to food.

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

Staff should always wash their hands

thoroughly before preparing food.

(See the ‘Handwashing’ method in the

Cleaning section.)

Handwashing is one of the best ways

to prevent harmful bacteria from

spreading.

Are all staff trained to wash their

hands before preparing food?

Yes No

All staff should wear clean clothes when

working with food. Ideally, they should

change into clean work clothes before

starting work and not wear these clothes

outside food preparation areas.

Clothes can bring dirt and bacteria

into food preparation areas. Wearing

clean clothes helps to prevent this.

Do your staff wear clean work

clothes?

Yes No

Do your staff change clothes

before starting work?

Yes No

Describe your staff’s work

clothes here:

Ideally, work clothes should be long-

sleeved and light-coloured (to show the

dirt) with no external pockets. It is also

a good idea to wear a clean apron or

disposable apron over work clothes.

This prevents skin from touching food

and helps to stop hairs, ﬁbres and the

contents of pockets (which can carry

bacteria) getting into food.

Staff should change aprons after working

with raw food e.g. meat, poultry, eggs or

unwashed vegetables.

Aprons help to stop dirt and bacteria

from getting onto work clothes

and they can be removed easily for

washing, or thrown away if disposable.

What type of aprons do you use?

Which tasks do you use them for?

It is good practice

for staff to keep

hair tied back

and wear a hat

or hairnet when

preparing food.

If hair is not tied

back or covered,

it is more likely

to fall into food

and staff are

more likely to

touch their hair.

Do staff keep hair tied back?

Yes No

Do staff wear hats or hairnets

when preparing food?

Yes No

Staff should not wear watches or

jewellery when preparing food

(except a wedding band).

Watches and jewellery can collect and

spread dirt and harmful bacteria, or

fall in the food.

Do your staff take off watches

and jewellery before preparing

food?

Yes No

Staff should not smoke, drink, eat or

chew gum while handling food.

Staff should also avoid touching their

face or nose, or coughing and sneezing.

All of these lead to staff touching their

face or mouth. Harmful bacteria can be

spread from someone’s face or mouth

to their hands and then onto food.

Are staff trained not to do

these things?

Yes No

Fitness for work

Safety point Why?

Staff should be ‘ﬁt for work’ at all times. This means that

they must not be suffering from, or carrying, an illness or

disease that could cause a problem with food safety.

People who are not ‘ﬁt for work’ could spread harmful

bacteria or viruses to food.

Any member of staff who has diarrhoea and/or vomiting

should report it to their manager immediately and either

stay at home or go home straight away.

People suffering from these symptoms often carry

harmful bacteria on their hands and can spread them

to food or equipment they touch.

Staff who have had diarrhoea and/or vomiting should

not return to work until they have had no symptoms

for 48 hours.

Even if the diarrhoea and vomiting has stopped,

someone can still carry harmful bacteria for

48 hours afterwards.

Staff should tell their manager if they have any cuts or

sores and these should be completely covered with a

brightly coloured waterproof dressing.

Cuts and sores can carry harmful bacteria. Covering

them prevents bacteria spreading to food.

What to do if things go wrong How to stop this happening again

• Ifstaffarenot‘tforwork’,movethemoutoffood

handling areas or send them home. Throw away any

unwrapped foods they have handled.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Manage it Why? How do you do this?

Make sure that all staff

understand the importance

of being ‘ﬁt for work’ and

what they need to report.

This is so they understand how some types

of illness can affect the safety of food and

that they must tell their manager if they

have these types of illness.

Make a note in your diary of when

you have trained staff on this safe

method.

It is a good idea to have a

separate area where staff

can change and store their

outdoor clothes.

Clothes could be a source of bacteria if

they are left lying around.

Where do staff change and store

their outdoor clothes?

It is good practice to keep a

clean set of work clothes or

disposable aprons for visitors.

Anyone entering the kitchen can bring in

bacteria on their clothes.

Where do you keep clean uniforms/

disposable aprons?

Personal hygiene

Safe method:

Cloths

Cloths can be one of the top causes of cross-contamination

in the kitchen. It is essential to use them safely to prevent

bacteria from spreading.

Safety point Why?

Use disposable cloths wherever possible, and throw

them away after each task.

This will make sure that any bacteria picked

up by the cloth will not be spread.

Always use a new or freshly cleaned and disinfected

cloth to wipe work surfaces, equipment or utensils that

will be used with ready-to-eat food.

It is especially important to protect ready-to-eat food

from bacteria. This is because the food will not be

cooked, so any bacteria on the food will not be killed.

Take away re-usable cloths for thorough washing

after using them with raw meat/poultry, eggs or raw

vegetables – and surfaces that have touched these

foods.

Raw meat/poultry and eggs are more likely

to contain harmful bacteria than other foods. The soil

on vegetables can also contain harmful bacteria.

If using re-usable cloths, make sure they are thoroughly

washed, disinfected and dried between tasks (not just

when they look dirty).

Ideally, wash cloths in a washing machine on a hot cycle

e.g. at more than 82°C.

If you wash and disinfect cloths by hand, make sure

all the food and dirt has been removed before you

disinfect them. Use very hot water to disinfect the

cloths.

Using dirty cloths can spread bacteria very easily.

A hot wash cycle will clean the cloths thoroughly and

kill bacteria (disinfect).

If food or dirt is still on the cloths, this will prevent the

disinfection process from being effective, so harmful

bacteria might not be killed.

How do you do this?

How do you clean re-usable cloths?

Different cloths for different jobs

Jobs The best cloth

for the job

Do you

do this?

If not, what do you do?

Holding hot items (e.g.

oven trays) – use tea

towel or chef’s cloth

Yes

Washing up dishes –

use a dish cloth

Yes

Use disposable cloths

or paper towels for the

following jobs:

Wiping surfaces

Yes

Mopping up spills

Yes

Wiping hands

Yes

Wiping sides of dishes

before serving

Yes

Drying ingredients

Yes

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifyounoticedirtyclothsinthekitchen,removethem

for cleaning immediately or throw them away.

• Ifyouthinkyourstaffhaveusedadirtycloth,wash,

disinfect and dry any equipment, work surfaces or

utensils it has touched and throw away any food that

might have been contaminated.

How to stop this happening again

• Considerusingdisposableclothsifyouarenotusing

them already.

• Increaseyoursupplyofdisposable/cleancloths.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvesupervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Manage it Why? How do you do this?

Have a special place in the

kitchen for dirty re-usable cloths.

This is to prevent them

being re-used before they

have been washed.

Where do staff put

dirty re-usable cloths?

Always keep a good supply of

disposable/clean cloths in your

kitchen.

Staff are more likely to use

clean cloths if plenty are

available.

Where do you keep

new/clean cloths?

Cloths

Safe method:

Separating foods

Keeping raw and ready-to-eat food separate is

essential to prevent harmful bacteria from spreading.

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

Delivery and collection

Plan delivery times so that, if possible,

raw foods arrive at different times to

other foods.

If you collect food from shops yourself,

make sure it is kept at the correct

temperature when you transport it

and that raw and ready-to-eat food is

kept separate.

Unload deliveries in a clean, separate

area. Remove outer packaging and

throw it away. Before you do this, make

a note of any cooking instructions or

ingredient information, if you need to.

Sometimes the information is only on

the outer packaging.

This helps to prevent harmful

bacteria spreading from raw meat/

poultry to other foods.

This will prevent dirty outer

packaging or leaks from deliveries

from spreading bacteria. Packaging

can also contain pests.

When do deliveries come?

Make a note in your diary.

Storage

Ideally, store raw and ready-to-eat food

in separate fridges, freezers and display

units. If they are in the same unit, store

raw meat, poultry, ﬁsh and eggs below

ready-to-eat food. Unwashed fruit and

vegetables should also be kept separate

from ready-to-eat food and above raw

meat.

Cover cooked foods and other

ready-to-eat food.

This helps to prevent harmful

bacteria spreading from raw food

to ready-to-eat food.

How do you make sure raw

and ready-to-eat food is stored

separately?

Defrosting

Keep foods that are defrosting in the

fridge in a covered container, below

ready-to-eat food, or in a separate area

of the kitchen away from other foods.

(See the ‘Defrosting’ method in the

Chilling section.)

When foods are defrosting,

the liquid that comes out can

contain harmful bacteria, which

could spread to other foods.

Where do you defrost foods?

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

Preparation

Prepare raw meat/poultry and

other foods in different areas.

If this is not possible, separate

by preparing them at different

times and clean and then disinfect

thoroughly between tasks.

Never use the same chopping

board or knives for preparing

raw meat/poultry and for

ready-to-eat food (unless they

have been thoroughly cleaned

and disinfected in between).

This helps to prevent harmful bacteria

spreading from one food to another.

Harmful bacteria from raw meat/poultry

can spread from chopping boards and

knives to other foods.

How do you separate raw meat/

poultry and other foods during

preparation?

Do not wash raw meat or poultry. Washing meat does not kill bacteria, but

it can splash harmful bacteria around the

kitchen contaminating sinks, taps and

surfaces.

Always use separate equipment,

such as vacuum packers, slicers or

mincers, for raw and ready-to-eat

food.

It is not possible to remove harmful

bacteria from complex machinery and

these bacteria can spread to food.

Cooking, eg grill, barbecue

When you add raw meat make

sure it does not touch or drip

onto the food already cooking.

Bacteria could spread from the raw meat

to the other food and stop it being safe

to eat.

How do you keep raw meat

separate from food already

cooking?

Think twice!

Equipment with moving parts

You should not use the same equipment, such as vacuum packing machines, slicers and mincers, for both raw

and ready-to-eat food. These are complex pieces of machinery with lots of moving parts and it is not possible

to clean them sufﬁciently, so any bacteria from raw food could easily be transferred to ready-to-eat food.

Separating foods

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifyouthinkthatready-to-eatfoodhasnotbeen

kept separate from raw food throw away the food.

• Ifequipment/surfaces/utensilshavebeentouched

by raw food, wash, disinfect and dry them to prevent

harmful bacteria from spreading.

How to stop this happening again

• Re-organisedeliverytimes,storageandfood

preparation to make it easier to keep food separate.

• Makesureyouhaveenoughstoragespaceanditis

well organised.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Food allergies

It is important to know what to do if you serve a

customer who has a food allergy, because these

allergies can be life-threatening.

Safety point Why?

If someone asks if a dish contains a certain food, check all

the ingredients in the dish (and what they contain), as well

as what you use to cook the dish, thicken a sauce and to

make a garnish or salad dressing. Never guess. A customer

may also give you a ‘chef card’ listing the foods that they

are sensitive to.

If someone has a severe allergy, they can react to

even a tiny amount of the food they are sensitive to.

You can ﬁnd out more about allergies at

food.gov.uk/safereating/allergyintol/guide/

Keep a copy of the ingredient information of any ready-

made foods you use.

This is so you can check what is in them.

When you have been asked to prepare a dish that does

not contain a certain food, make sure work surfaces and

equipment have been thoroughly cleaned ﬁrst. Make sure

staff wash their hands thoroughly before preparing the

dish.

This is to prevent small amounts of the food that a

person is allergic to getting into the dish accidentally.

Give detailed information in the name or description of

dishes on the menu, especially if they include the foods

listed over the page, e.g. chocolate and almond slice,

sesame oil dressing. Remember to update the menu when

recipes change.

This allows people with food allergies to spot that

dishes contain certain foods.

How do you do this?

How do you check if food does not contain a particular ingredient?

How do you prepare food for someone with a food allergy?

Think twice!

Which ingredients can cause a problem?

These are some of the foods people may be allergic to and some of the places where they may

be found:

Nuts In sauces, desserts, crackers, bread, ice cream, marzipan, ground almonds,

nut oils.

Peanuts In sauces, cakes, desserts. Don’t forget groundnut oil and peanut ﬂour.

Eggs In cakes, mousses, sauces, pasta, quiche, some meat products. Don’t forget foods containing

mayonnaise or brushed with egg.

Milk In yoghurt, cream, cheese, butter, milk powders. Also check for foods glazed with milk.

Fish In some salad dressings, pizzas, relishes, ﬁsh sauce. You might also ﬁnd ﬁsh in some soy and

Worcestershire sauces.

Crustacea Such as prawns, lobster, scampi, crab, shrimp paste.

Molluscs These include mussels, whelks, squid, land snails, oyster sauce.

Cereals containing

gluten

Such as wheat, rye and barley. Also check foods containing ﬂour, such as bread, pasta, cakes,

pastry, meat products, sauces, soups, batter, stock cubes, breadcrumbs, foods dusted with

ﬂour.

Celery This includes celery stalks, leaves and seeds and celeriac. Also look out for celery in salads,

soups, celery salt, some meat products.

Lupin Lupin seeds and ﬂour in some types of bread and pastries.

Mustard Including liquid mustard, mustard powder and mustard seeds, in salad dressings, marinades,

soups, sauces, curries, meat products.

Seseme seeds In bread, breadsticks, tahini, houmous, sesame oil.

Soya As tofu or beancurd, soya ﬂour and textured soya protein, in some ice cream, sauces,

desserts, meat products, vegetarian products.

Sulphur dioxide In meat products, fruit juice drinks, dried fruit and vegetables, wine, beer.

Food allergies

What to do if things go wrong

If you think a customer is having a severe allergic

reaction:

• Donotmovethem.

• Ring999andaskforanambulancewithaparamedic

straight away.

• Explainthatyourcustomercouldhaveanaphylaxis

(pronounced ‘anna-ﬁll-axis’).

• Sendsomeoneoutsidetowaitfortheambulance.

How to stop this happening again

• Makesureallyourstaffunderstandhowimportantitis

to check all the contents of a dish if asked by someone

who has a food allergy.

• Makesureyoukeepingredientinformation

for all ready-made products and staff know

to check it.

• Reviewthewaythatstaffprepareadishforsomeone

with a food allergy – are they cleaning effectively ﬁrst

and using clean equipment?

• Improvethedescriptionsonyourmenu.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvesupervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Physical and chemical contamination

It is very important to prevent objects

and chemicals getting into food.

Safety point Why?

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions

on how to use and store cleaning

chemicals.

Store cleaning chemicals separately

from food and make sure they are

clearly labelled.

This is to prevent these

chemicals getting into food.

Keep food covered. This helps to stop things falling

into the food.

Make sure you control pests

effectively. (See the ‘Pest control’ safe

method.)

This is to stop insects, droppings etc. getting into food, as well as

preventing the spread of bacteria.

Make sure that any chemicals you use

to control pests are used and stored

in the correct way and clearly labelled.

This is to prevent these chemicals getting into food.

Always clear and clean as you go and

take care to throw away packaging,

string etc.

as soon as you remove it. (See the

‘Clear and clean as you go’ safe

method in the Cleaning section.)

Keeping surfaces clear and

clean will help prevent

chemicals and objects getting

into food, as well as preventing

the spread of bacteria.

Repair or replace any equipment or

utensils that are damaged or have

loose parts.

Loose parts may get into food

by accident.

It is a good idea to have a rule of no

glass in the kitchen.

This helps to prevent broken glass getting into food.

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifchemicalsorobjects,suchasglassorinsects,

get into food, throw the food away.

•Ifyoundpestsorsignsofpests,takeaction

immediately. (See the ‘Pest control’ safe method.)

•Ifyoundobjectsinfoodthathasbeendelivered,

reject the delivery, if possible, and contact your

supplier immediately.

How to stop this happening again

• Reviewhowyouuseandstorechemicals

in your business.

• Reviewyourpestcontrolarrangements.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Think twice!

When you clean work surfaces, make sure that any cleaning chemicals you use are suitable for surfaces touched

by food.

Think twice!

Covering foods

It is important to keep food covered to help protect it from harmful bacteria. This is especially important for

cooked food and other ready-to-eat food. Always use containers or bags that have been designed to store food.

Suggestedfoodcoveringsincludekitchenfoil,clinglm,plasticboxeswithlidsorfreezerbags.Keepunusedfood

coverings clean and separate from food.

When you are covering food:

• Checkthemanufacturer’sinstructionstoseeifthecoveringissuitableforwhatyouareusingitfor.

• Alwaysmakesurethatthefoodisproperlycovered.

• Takecarenottoletthecoveringfallintofoods.

• Neverre-usefoil,clinglmorfreezerbagsanddonotstorefoodinopenedtins.

• Makesurethatplasticboxesarewashed,disinfectedanddriedbetweenuses.

Avoid re-using food packaging to store food. Often packaging is designed to be used once with a certain food, so

it might not be safe to use it again, or to use it with a different food. If food packaging is used in a way that it was

not designed for, chemicals could transfer into the food. Instead, use re-usable containers that have been designed

to store food.

Physical and chemical contamination

Safe method:

Pest control

Effective pest control is essential to keep pests out of your

premises and prevent them from spreading harmful bacteria.

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

Check your premises regularly for

signs of pests.

Pests carry harmful bacteria. When do you check for pests?

One option is to employ a pest

control contractor. See the ‘Suppliers

and contractors’ safe method in the

Management section.

Check deliveries thoroughly for signs

of pests. Do not accept a delivery if it

shows signs of pests such as gnawed

packaging or insects, e.g. beetles.

Pests could come into your

premises in a delivery.

How do you check deliveries?

Keep external areas tidy and free from

weeds. Make sure bins have close-

ﬁtting lids and are easy to clean.

Weeds and rubbish can attract

pests and provide them with

food and shelter.

How often do you check external areas?

Type of pest Signs of pests

Rats and mice Small footprints in dust, droppings, holes

in walls and doors, nests, gnawed goods

or packaging, grease or smear marks,

urine stains on food packaging

Flies and ﬂying insects

e.g. moths

Bodies of insects, live insects, webbing,

nests, droning or buzzing, maggots

Pest control

Type of pest

Cockroaches

Signs of pests

Eggs and egg cases, moulted ‘skins’, the

insects themselves, droppings

Ants Small piles of sand or soil, the insects

themselves, ﬂying ants on hot days

Birds Feathers, droppings, nests, noise, the

birds themselves

Beetles and weevils Moving insects, particularly in dry food,

small maggots

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifyouseesignsofapestinfestation,callapest

contractor immediately. Write the contact details

for your pest contractor on the Contacts list in the

diary.

• Ifyouthinkanyequipment,surfacesorutensils

have been touched by pests, they should be

washed, disinfected and dried to stop harmful

bacteria from spreading.

• Ifyouthinkfoodhasbeentouchedbypests

in any way, throw it away.

How to stop this happening again

• Makeyourpestchecksmorefrequent.

• Improvestafftrainingonrecognisingsignsofpestsand

encourage them to report problems immediately.

• Ifyouhavepersistentproblemswithpests,consider

employing a pest contractor, if you do not have one

already.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Think twice!

Neverletpestcontrolbait/chemicals,includingsprays,comeintocontactwithfood,packaging,equipmentor

surfaces, because they are likely to be poisonous to people.

Manage it

• Makesurenofoodordirtyplatesetc.areleftoutatnight–theseareasourceoffoodforpests.

• Makesurethatchecksforpestsarecarriedoutregularly.

• Putremindersofwhentocheckforpestsinyourdiary.

• Ifyouhaveapestcontractor,keeparecordoftheircontactdetailsandvisitsinyourdiary,aswellasany

feedback or action points they recommend. Make a note of when you have carried these out.

Safe method:

Maintenance

Effective maintenance is essential to allow

you to clean properly and keep pests out.

Safety point Why?

Repair structural damage as soon as it

happens e.g. damp/chipped plaster,

broken tiles, holes in walls or windows.

Structural damage can make

your premises harder to clean

and can attract pests.

Check extractor fans and ﬁlters

regularly to make sure they are

working properly and are free from

grease and dirt.

This is to make sure the fans and ﬁlters can do their job properly.

Replace chopping boards that are

scratched, pitted or scored.

Dirt and harmful bacteria can

collect in any areas where the

board is not smooth.

Repair or replace any equipment or

utensils that are damaged or have

loose parts.

Dirt and harmful bacteria

can collect in damaged

equipment/utensils. Loose

parts may fall into food.

Throw away any cracked or chipped

dishes and other tableware.

Dirt and harmful bacteria can

collect in cracks or chips.

Make sure your cooking, hot holding

and chilling equipment is well

maintained and working properly.

If it does not work properly, food may not be kept safe.

Temperature probes should be

checked regularly to make sure their

readings are accurate.

If your probe is not accurate,

then it will not give a reliable

measure of whether food is at

a safe temperature. (See the

‘Prove it’ safe method in the

Management section.)



Maintenance

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifyouthinkthatequipmentmightnotbeworking

properly,checkitstraightaway.

Donotwaituntilithasbrokendown.Checkthatstaff

areusingtheequipmentproperly.

• Lookatthemanufacturer’sinstructionsto

seeifthereisatroubleshootingsection.

• Contacttheequipmentmanufactureroryour

maintenancecontractor,ifyouhaveone.

• Usealternativeequipmentuntilthefaulthasbeen

corrected.

How to stop this happening again

• Makeyourmaintenancechecksmorefrequent.

• Encouragestafftoreportanystructuraldamage

orproblemswithequipment,soyouknowabout

problemsearly.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Manage it

• Checkyourpremisesregularlyforanystructural

damageorproblemswithequipment.

• Putproblemsrightassoonaspossible,beforethey

getworseoraffectfoodsafety.Makeanoteinyour

diaryofwhatyoudo.

• Putremindersinyourdiaryofmaintenancechecks

andmakeanoteofanyrepairsyoumake.

How do you do this?

Doyoudothis?

Yes Writeanydetailshere:



Cleaning

Effective cleaning is essential to get rid of harmful bacteria

and stop them spreading to food.

This section tells you about handwashing, cleaning

effectively, how to ‘clear and clean as you go’ and

developing a cleaning schedule.

This page has been left intentionally blank

Safe method:

Handwashing

Effective handwashing is essential to help prevent

bacteria spreading to food.

Make sure that all staff who work with food wash their hands properly before preparing food. Harmful bacteria

can spread very easily from people’s hands to food, work surfaces, equipment etc. Effective handwashing helps to

prevent this. Following the steps below will make sure hands are washed properly.

Washing hands effectively

Step 1:

Wet your hands thoroughly

under warm running water

and squirt liquid soap onto

your palm.

Step 2:

Rub your hands together

palm to palm to make a

lather.

Step 3:

Rub the palm of one hand

along the back of the other

and along the ﬁngers.

Repeat with the other

hand.

Step 4:

Put your palms together

with ﬁngers interlocked

and rub in between each

of the ﬁngers thoroughly.

Step 5:

Rub around your thumbs

on each hand and then rub

the ﬁngertips of each hand

against your palms.

Step 6:

Rinse off the soap with

clean water and dry your

hands thoroughly on a

disposable towel. Turn off

the tap with the towel

and then throw the towel

away.

Check it

For hands to be washed

properly, you need warm

running water, liquid soap

and preferably disposable

towels.

Do you use liquid soap?

Yes No If no, what do you use?

Do you use disposable towels?

Yes No If no, what do you use?

Handwashing

When to wash your hands

When entering the kitchen e.g. after a break or going to the toilet.

After touching or emptying bins.

After any cleaning.

After touching a cut or changing a dressing.

After touching items such as phones, light switches, door handles and

cash registers.

Think twice!

If you use disposable gloves in your business, they should never be used as an alternative to effective

handwashing

When using disposable gloves make sure you:

• Washyourhandsthoroughlybeforeputtingthemonandaftertakingthemoff.

• Alwayschangethemregularly,especiallywhenhandlingrawandready-to-eatfood.

• Throwthemawayafteruseorifdamaged.

Hygienic hand rubs and gels can be useful when used as an additional precaution, but should never be used as a

replacement for effective handwashing.

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifyouthinkamemberofstaffhasnotwashedtheir

hands, make sure they wash them straight away and

emphasise how important it is to wash their hands

when working with food.

How to stop this happening again

• Makesurethathandbasinsareconvenientwithplenty

of soap and disposable towels.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Cleaning effectively

Effective cleaning is essential to get rid of

harmful bacteria and stop them spreading.

Safety point Why?

Cleaning needs to be carried out in two stages.

First use a cleaning product to remove visible

dirt from surfaces and equipment, and rinse.

Then disinfect them using the correct dilution

and contact time for the disinfectant, after

rinse with fresh clean water.

Chemical disinfectants only work if surfaces have been thoroughly

cleaned ﬁrst to remove grease and other dirt.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how

to use cleaning chemicals. Disinfectants and

sanitisers should meet BS EN standards. You

can ﬁnd out more in the ‘cleaning terms’ in the

‘Your cleaning schedule’ safe method.

This is important to make sure that chemicals work effectively.

Wash work surfaces and equipment thoroughly

between tasks, follow the manufacturer’s

cleaning instructions if there are any. Wash

and then disinfect them after preparing raw

food.

This will help prevent dirt and

bacteria spreading onto other

foods from the surface or

equipment.

High-priority cleaning

Regularly wash/wipe and disinfect all the

items people touch frequently, such as work

surfaces, sinks, taps, door handles, switches,

can openers, cash registers, telephones and

scales.

Where possible, allow these to dry naturally at

the end of each day/shift.

This will help prevent dirt

and bacteria being spread to

people’s hands and then to

food or other areas.

Drying naturally helps prevent

bacteria being spread back to

these items on a towel/cloth

used for drying.

Wash and disinfect fridges regularly at a time

when they do not contain much food. Transfer

food to another fridge or a safe cold area and

keep it covered.

To clean a fridge thoroughly,

you should take out all

the food and keep it cold

somewhere else. If food is

left out at room temperature,

bacteria could grow.

Pay special attention to how often you clean

pieces of equipment that have moving parts.

These can be more difﬁcult to clean, but it is important to clean

equipment properly to stop bacteria and dirt building up.

Ideally use a dishwasher. If you do not have a

dishwasher, wash plates, equipment etc. in hot

soapy water using diluted detergent. Remove

grease and any food and dirt. Then immerse

them in very hot, clean water. Leave to air dry,

or dry with a clean disposable cloth.

Dishwashers wash items

thoroughly at a high

temperature so this is a good

way to clean equipment and

kill bacteria (disinfect).

Cleaning effectively

Other cleaning

Safety point

Items that do not touch food are not as

high a priority but they should still be

cleaned effectively. Examples include

dry storage areas and ﬂoors.

For equipment or areas that are hard

to clean, you may wish to employ a

contract cleaner.

Why?

This prevents dirt and bacteria

building up in the kitchen.

Contract cleaners have special

equipment and experience of

more difﬁcult cleaning.

Think twice!

Effective cleaning needs to be carried out in two stages. Disinfectants will only work on clean surfaces. Always

use a cleaning product to remove visible dirt and grease before disinfecting. Always check the manufacturer’s

instructions for the correct dilution and contact time for disinfectants or sanitisers.

When you are cleaning, remember to move food out of the way, or cover it. This is to prevent dirt, bacteria or

cleaning chemicals from getting onto food.

Manage it Why? How do you do this?

Fill out the cleaning schedule in

the diary to show how you manage

cleaning in your business. (See

the ‘Your cleaning schedule’ safe

method.)

This is to make sure that staff

know what to clean, when and

how.

Have you completed the cleaning

schedule from the diary?

Yes

If no, are you using another cleaning

schedule?

Yes

Make sure you always have a good

supply of cleaning chemicals,

materials and equipment. It can be

helpful to put a reminder in your

diary of when you should buy more.

Staff are more likely to clean

properly if the right cleaning

chemicals, materials and

equipment are available.

Do you make sure you have a good

supply of cleaning products?

Yes

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifyoundthatanyiteminyourkitchenisnotproperly

clean, wash and disinfect it and allow it to dry.

How to stop this happening again

• Reviewyourcleaningschedule,includinghowyou

clean and how often.

• Makesureyourcleaningchemicals,materialsand

equipment are suitable for the tasks you use them

for and are being used correctly.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Clear and clean as you go

Keeping your kitchen clear and clean makes it safer.

Safety point Why?

Take off outer packaging from food

and throw it away before you bring

food into the kitchen or storeroom.

Outer packaging could have touched dirty ﬂoors etc. when it has been

stored or transported before.

Take extra care with how you throw

away packaging and food waste from

raw food. If packaging from raw food

touches work surfaces make sure

you wash and then disinfect them

afterwards.

Packaging and food waste from

these foods are more likely to

spread harmful bacteria to food

and surfaces.

Keep your kitchen free from clutter

and rubbish. Clear away dirty kitchen

equipment as soon as possible.

Work surfaces are easier to

keep clean when they are not

cluttered. It is also important to

clear away used equipment to

prevent bacteria spreading from

it to surfaces or food.

Keep sinks clear and clean them

regularly.

This stops dirt building up and helps prevent bacteria from spreading.

Wash or wipe away spills as soon as

they happen. Clean and then disinfect

work surfaces after wiping up spills

from raw food.

This stops dirt building up and

helps prevent bacteria from

spreading.

Wash work surfaces thoroughly

between tasks. Use a new cloth

(or one that has been washed and

disinfected) to clean work surfaces

beforepreparingready-to-eatfood.

This will help prevent dirt and

bacteria spreading onto other

foods from the surface. A dirty

cloth could spread bacteria to

the surface.

Clear and clean as you go

Manage it

‘Clear and clean as you go’ is the recommended way of keeping your kitchen clean as you work.

How do you do this?

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifyoundthatworksurfacesorequipmentarenot

properly clean, wash, disinfect and dry them before

using them to prepare food.

• Ifyoundanypackagingorwastelyingaround,throw

it away immediately and clean and then disinfect the

work surface thoroughly.

How to stop this happening again

• Reviewyourclearingandcleaningpractices.

• Reviewstafnglevels.

• Considerchangingtheorder/timingoftaskstomake

it easier to keep surfaces clear and clean.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Your cleaning schedule

A cleaning schedule is a useful tool to help

you clean effectively in your business.

What to do

You can use the cleaning schedule supplied in the diary to write down how you clean in your business.

This safe method should help you do this.

Alternatively, you may already have a cleaning schedule. If so, you can continue to use it, but it is a good idea to

look at this safe method and review your schedule to make sure that it covers the right things.

It is important to write down how you do your cleaning, so you can show what you do. It is also useful for staff

to be able to check how they should clean things, so you may wish to put your cleaning schedule on the wall.

Safety point How do you do this?

Walk through your premises and

make a list of everything that needs

cleaning. This will depend on what

you do in your business.

Some items should be cleaned more

frequently than others and some

should also be disinfected. You do

not need to disinfect everything –

concentrate on those items that will

be touched by food and frequently

touched items such as door handles.

You will also need to clean and then

disinfect surfaces or items that have

been touched by raw food, or leaks

or spills from these.

See the back of this sheet for

information on cleaning terms.

You may ﬁnd it helpful to go through the following examples:

Items that need cleaning and disinfecting

Items that come into contact with food

• Worksurfacesandchoppingboards

• Equipmente.g.knives

• Fridgesandfreezers

• Equipmentwithmovingpartse.g.foodmixers,slicers,vacuumpacking

machines and processors

• Sinksandsoapdispensers

• Re-usableclothsandworkclothes

• Icemachines

Frequently touched items

• Rubbishbins,broomandmophandles

• Doorhandles,taps,switches,controls,cashregistersandscales

• Canopeners,telephones

Items that need cleaning

• Floors,walls,ceilings

• Storageareas

• Wasteareasanddrains

• Microwaves,ovens,dishwashers,hot-holdinganddisplaycabinets

• Self-serviceandstaffareas

For each item, or group of items,

write down what you do on your

cleaning schedule.

Include details on:

• Howyoucleantheitem(s)

• Whatchemicalsyouuseandhowtousethem

• Whatequipmentyouuse

• Howoftenyoucleantheitem(s)

Review your schedule regularly and

check that all cleaning is being done

properly.

Train staff on the cleaning schedule, so they know

what they have to do, and when. Supervise cleaning.

Your cleaning schedule

Example of a cleaning schedule

Fill in details of all the items you clean

Item Frequency of Precautions Method of cleaning

cleaning e.g. wear

gloves or

After use

goggles

Every shift

Daily

Weekly

Other

Work

surface

X Wear gloves 1. Remove any obvious food and dirt.

2. Wash the surface with hot soapy water (detergent diluted

according to manufacturer’s instructions) to remove grease

and any other food and dirt.

3. Rinse with clean water to remove the detergent and

loosened food and dirt.

4. Apply a disinfectant. Make sure you leave it on for the

contact time recommended by the manufacturer.

5. Rinse with clean water to remove the disinfectant.

6. Leave to dry naturally or use a clean disposable cloth.

Fridge X Wear gloves 1. Remove all food and store it in a cool place, ideally another

fridge or cool box.

2. Remove shelves and compartments from the fridge and

wash them in hot soapy water and then disinfect. Allow

to dry naturally or use a clean or disposable cloth.

3. Wash and then disinfect all surfaces of fridge with hot

soapy water and dry with a clean or disposable cloth.

4. Replace shelves and compartments, and put the food back

in the fridge.

5. Wash and disinfect the outside including the handles and

door seals.

EXAMPLE

Cleaning terms

Detergent

Achemical(e.g.washing-upliquid)usedtoremove

grease, dirt and food. Used for general cleaning.

Disinfectant

A chemical which kills bacteria. Check that surfaces

are clean of grease, dirt and food before you use a

disinfectant.

Sanitiser

Atwo-in-oneproductthatactsasadetergentanda

disinfectant. If you use a sanitiser, make sure you use it ﬁrs

to clean and remove grease, and then again to disinfect.

BS EN standards

Disinfectants and sanitisers should meet either BS EN

1276:1997, BS EN 13697:2001 or BS EN 1276:2009

standards.

Dilution rate

Most cleaning chemicals are concentrated, so you need

to add water to dilute them before they can be used. It

is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions

on how much water to use with the chemical. This

is the ‘dilution rate’. If you add too much or too little

water, then the cleaning chemical might not work

effectively.

Contact time

This is how long a cleaning chemical needs to be left

on the item you are cleaning. It is important to follow

the manufacturer’s instructions on contact time for the

chemical to work effectively.

Chilling

Chilling food properly helps to stop harmful bacteria

from growing.

Some foods need to be kept chilled to keep them safe,

such as sandwiches, cooked food, cream and desserts,

food with a ‘use by’ date and food that says ‘keep

refrigerated’ on the label.

This section tells you about storing and displaying chilled

food, chilling down hot food, freezing and defrosting.

This page has been left intentionally blank

Safe method:

Chilled storage and

displaying chilled food

Harmful bacteria can grow in food that is not chilled properly.

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

Certain foods need to be kept chilled

to keep them safe e.g.

• foodwitha‘useby’date

• foodthatsays‘keeprefrigerated’on

the label

• foodyouhavecookedandwillnot

serveimmediately

• ready-to-eatfoodsuchas

sandwiches,saladsanddesserts

Ifthesetypes

of food are not

keptcoldenough

harmfulbacteria

couldgrow.

Doyoucheckregularly

thatthesetypesoffood

are kept chilled?

Yes

Ifnot,whatdoyoudo?

Makesurethatyoudonotusefood

afterits‘useby’date.

Fordishesyouhavepreparedor

cooked,itisagoodideatouse

stickers,oranothermethodof

labelling,tokeeptrackofwhenfood

shouldbeusedorthrownaway.

Ifyouarenotsurehowlongtokeep

food,askyourenvironmentalhealth

serviceforadvice.

Foodwith‘use

by’dates,cooked

dishes and other

ready-to-eatfood

havealimited

shelflife.Ifyou

keep them too

longtheymight

not be safe to eat.

Howdoyoukeeptrack

ofwhenfoodshouldbe

usedorthrownaway?

Followthemanufacturer’sinstructions

onhowtousefridgesandchilled

displayequipment.

It is important to

useequipment

properlytomake

surefoodiskept

coldenough.

Doyoufollowthe

manufacturer’s

instructionsforusing

your:

Fridge?

Chilleddisplayunit?

Ifnot,whatdoyoudo?

• Pre-coolthedisplayunitbeforeyou

putchilledfoodinit.

• Onlydisplayasmuchfoodasyou

thinkyouwillneed.

• Displayfoodfortheshortesttime

possible.

Youcouldalso:

• Usea‘dummy’portionfordisplay

(whichwillnotbeeaten).

• Usephotographstoshowcustomers

whatthefoodlookslike.

It is important to

keep chilled food

coldwhileitison

displaytoprevent

harmfulbacteria

fromgrowingin

the food.

Whatdoyoudoto

makesurechilledfood

isdisplayedsafely?

Chilled storage and displaying chilled food

Check it

Itisrecommendedthatfridgesandchilleddisplay

equipmentshouldbesetat5˚Corbelow.Thisisto

makesurethatchilledfoodiskeptat8˚Corbelow.

ThisisalegalrequirementinEngland,Walesand

NorthernIreland,andrecommendedinScotland.

Youshouldcheckthetemperatureofyourchilling

equipmentatleastonceadaystartingwithyour

openingchecks(seethe‘Openingandclosing

checks’safemethodintheManagementsection).

How do you do this?

Someequipmentwillhaveadigitaldisplayordialtoshow

whattemperatureitissetat.Youcanusethistocheckthe

temperatureofyourequipment.

Ifyoudothis,youshouldcheckregularlythatthe

temperatureshownonthedisplay/dialisaccurateusinga

fridge thermometer.

Howdoyoucheckthetemperatureofchillingequipment?

Fridge: Digitaldisplay/dial

Thermometer

Chilled display unit:Digitaldisplay/dial

Thermometer

Ifyoudonotdothis,whatdoyoudo?

Think twice!

Chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below, except for certain exceptions.

Whenyoudisplaycoldfood,e.g.onabuffet,youshouldusesuitablechilleddisplayequipmenttokeepitat8°Cor

below.Ifthisisnotpossible,youcandisplayfoodoutofchilledstorageforuptofourhours,butyoucanonlydo

this once.

Foodthathasnotbeenusedwithinfourhourscanbeputbackinthefridgeandkeptat8°Corbelowuntilitis

used.Ifithasbeenoutformorethanfourhoursitshouldbethrownaway.

Ifyoudotakefoodoutofchilledstoragetodisplayit,remembernottomixnewfoodwiththefoodthatisalready

ondisplay.Thiscouldleadtotheolderfoodbeingleftoutfortoolong.

Prove it

Ifyouwouldlikeextrareassurancethatyourchillingequipmentisworkingeffectively,youcanuseatemperature

probetocheckfoodasaone-offtesttoprovethatyourmethodkeepsfoodatasafetemperature.(Seethe‘Prove

it’safemethodintheManagementsectionforadviceonusingprobessafely.)

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifyourfridgeordisplayequipmentbreaksdown,use

otherequipment,ormovethefoodtoacoldarea.

Ifyoucannotdothis,oryoudonotknowhowlong

theequipmenthasbeenbrokendown,contactthe

environmentalhealthserviceatyourlocalauthority

foradvice.

• Iffoodondisplayhasnotbeenkeptchilledformore

thanfourhours,throwitaway.

Rememberthatsomefoodsneedextracare.Seethe

safemethod‘Foodsthatneedextracare’intheCooking

section.

How to stop this happening again

• Reviewyourchilleddisplaymethodandsee

ifyoucanmakeitsafer(usingthefrontof

thissheet).

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

• Ifyouhavefrequentproblemswithyourchilling

equipment,considerwhetheritissuitableforyour

business.Generally,commercialequipmentwillbe

moresuitableforcatering.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Chilling down hot food

Harmful bacteria can grow in food that

is not chilled down as quickly as possible.

Safety point Why?

If you have cooked food that you will not serve

immediately, chill it down as quickly as possible

and then put it in the fridge.

Harmful bacteria can grow in food that is left to chill slowly.

Avoid cooking large quantities of food in

advance, unless you need to.

Large quantities of food are more difﬁcult to chill down quickly,

especially solid food.

Options for chilling

down food (you can

use one or more of these)

Why? Tick if

you do

this

Divide food into smaller

portions.

Smaller

amounts of

food chill down

more quickly.

Cut joints of meat in half. Smaller pieces

of meat will

cool more

quickly.

Cover pans of hot food and move them

to a colder area e.g. a storage room, or

stand them in cold water. You can also

use ice to speed up chilling.

This will make

the contents of

the pans chill

more quickly.

Stir food regularly while it is chilling

down.

Stirring helps

food chill more

evenly.

Cover hot food and move it to a colder

area (e.g. a larder).

Food will chill

more quickly in

a colder place.

Spread food out on a tray e.g. rice. Spreading the

food out will

help it cool

more quickly.

Chilling down hot food

Options for chilling

down food (you can

use one or more of these)

Why? Tick if

you do

this

If you have a ‘cool’ setting on your

oven, use it to chill down food.

Some ovens have a ‘cool’ setting, which can help to chill

down food by increasing the air ﬂow around it. (The oven

should be cool ﬁrst.)

Use a blast chiller to chill down food. A blast chiller is specially designed to chill down hot

foods quickly and safely.

If you have another method of chilling

down hot food, e.g. putting pasta

under cold running water, write the

details here:

Prove it

If you would like to compare different chilling options, try them out with the same food. You will only need to do

this once. When you have just cooked the food, use a probe to test its temperature. (See the ‘Prove it’ method in

the Management section for advice on using probes safely.) Then test the temperature again at regular intervals to

ﬁnd out how fast the food is being chilled down. Remember to use a clean probe each time you check the food.

Repeat the process with different chilling options to ﬁnd out which is most effective.

What to do if things go wrong

• Iffoodhasnotbeenchilleddownsafely,

re-cook it, if appropriate, or throw it away.

Remember that some foods need extra care.

See the safe method ‘Foods that need extra care’ in the

Cooking section.

How to stop this happening again

• Reviewyourchillingmethodstomakesuretheyare

working properly. If appropriate, try out different

methods and choose the one that best meets your

needs.

• Makesureyoualwaysallowenoughtime

and make portions small enough.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

• Ifyouchilldownlotsofhotfoodinyourbusinessyou

may wish to consider using

a blast chiller.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Defrosting

Harmful bacteria can grow in food that

is not defrosted properly.

Safety points Why? How do you do this?

Food should be thoroughly

defrosted before cooking (unless the

manufacturer’s instructions tell you

to cook from frozen or you have a

proven safe method).

If food is still frozen or partially

frozen, it will take longer to cook.

The outside of the food could be

cooked, but the centre might not

be, which means it could contain

harmful bacteria.

Do you check food is thoroughly

defrosted before cooking?

Yes

If not, what do you do?

Options for defrosting food

1. Ideally, plan ahead to leave enough

time and space to defrost small

amounts of food in the fridge.

Putting food in the fridge will keep

it at a safe temperature while it is

defrosting.

Do you use this method?

How much time do you

allow for defrosting?

Yes

2. If you cannot defrost food in

the fridge, you could put it in a

container and then place it under

cold running water.

Cold water will

help to speed

up defrosting

without

allowing the

outside of the

food to get too

warm.

Do you use this method? Yes

Which foods do you

defrost in this way?

3. If you use the sink to defrost some

foods, make sure the sink is clean

and empty. The sink should be

cleaned and then disinfected after

being used for defrosting.

Cold water will help speed

up defrosting.

Do you use this method? Yes

Which foods do you

defrost in this way?

Defrosting

Safety points Why? How do you do this

4. Or you could defrost food in the

microwave on the ‘defrost’ setting.

This is a fast way to defrost food.

Do you use this method? Yes

Which foods do you

defrost in this way?

5. If necessary you could defrost

food at room temperature. Follow

the manufacturer’s defrosting

instructions. Food should be left

out at room temperature for the

shortest time possible. Ideally,

defrost these foods in the fridge.

Foods will defrost quite quickly at

room temperature, but harmful

bacteria could grow in food if it

gets too warm while defrosting.

Do you use this method? Yes

Which foods do you

defrost in this way?

6. If you have another method of defrosting, write the details here: Which foods do you defrost in

this way?

Think twice!

Keep meat/poultry separate from other food when it is defrosting, to prevent cross-contamination. Once food has

been defrosted you should use it immediately (within one day).

Check it

When you

think food has

defrosted, it is

important

to check to make

sure.

Why?

The outside may

look defrosted

but the inside

could still be

frozen.

How do you do this?

1. Check for ice crystals in the

food using your hand or a skewer.

Do you use this check? Yes

2. With birds, check the joints

are ﬂexible.

Do you use this check? Yes

3. If you use another check, write the details here:

What to do if things go wrong

• Iffoodhasnotfullydefrosted,continuetodefrost

the food until no ice crystals are left. Test again

before cooking or reheating.

• Speedupthedefrostingprocesse.g.byusingcold

water or a microwave (see the front of this sheet).

• Useanalternativemenuitem.Ifyoudonothave

time to defrost for longer, replace the dish with a

similar dish that is ready to serve.

How to stop this happening again

• Changeyourdefrostingmethodandmakeitsafer,

e.g. defrost smaller amounts.

• Makesureyouallowenoughtimetodefrost.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

• Ifyoudefrostlotsoffoodinyourbusinessyou

may wish to consider creating extra fridge space or using

a special defrosting cabinet.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Freezing

It is important to take care when freezing

food and handle frozen food safely.

Safety points Why? How do you do this?

Put frozen food in the freezer as

soon as it is delivered.

If frozen food starts to defrost, harmful

bacteria could grow.

Is frozen food put in the freezer

as soon as it is delivered?

Yes No

If you are freezing fresh food,

freeze it as soon as it has been

delivered or prepared.

Freeze hot food as soon as it has

been properly chilled down.

The longer you

wait before

freezing food,

the greater

the chance of

harmful bacteria

growing. (See

the ‘Chilling

down hot food’

method.)

Is fresh and cooked food put

in the freezer as soon as it has

been delivered, prepared, or

chilled down?

Yes No

Divide food into smaller portions

and put it in containers or

freezer bags before freezing.

Smaller portions

will freeze (and

defrost) more

quickly.

The centre of

larger portions

takes longer to

freeze, allowing

harmful bacteria

to grow.

Using containers

and freezer bags

prevents cross-

contamination.

Is food divided into smaller

portions to help it freeze better?

Yes No

Is frozen food stored in

containers or freezer bags?

Yes No

How do you do this?

If you answered ‘no’ to any of the above questions, write down what you do:

Freezing

Think twice!

When you freeze food, make a note (e.g. on a sticker) of the date it is frozen and the date when it is removed

for defrosting, including the day, month and year. Once food has been defrosted you should use it immediately

(within one day).

What to do if things go wrong

If you ﬁnd that your freezer is not working properly,

you should do the following things:

1. Food that is still frozen (i.e. hard and icy) should

be moved to an alternative freezer straight away.

If there is no alternative freezer, defrost food using

the ‘Defrosting’ safe method.

2. Food that has begun to defrost (i.e. starting to

get soft and/or with liquid coming out of it) should

be moved to a suitable place to continue defrosting

using the ‘Defrosting’ safe method.

3. Fully defrosted food (i.e. soft and warm) should be

cooked, if appropriate (e.g. raw meat and poultry),

until it is piping hot all the way through. After

cooking, use the food immediately or chill or freeze

it safely straight away. If this is not possible, throw

it away.

4. Food that has to be kept frozen (e.g. ice cream)

cannot be re-frozen once it has started to defrost.

You will have to use it immediately or throw it away.

Remember, some foods need extra care. See the

‘Foods that need extra care’ safe method in the

Cooking section.

How to stop this happening again

• Getyourfreezermendedorbuyanewone.

• Havefreezersservicedregularlyandcheckthatthey

are working properly as part of your opening checks.

• Re-organisefreezerssothereismorespaceandthey

are kept closed as much as possible.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Increasestaffsupervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Cooking

It is essential to cook food properly to kill any harmful

bacteria. If it is not cooked properly, it might not be safe

for your customers to eat.

It is also very important to handle ready-to-eat food

carefully to protect it from harmful bacteria. This is because

it will not be cooked or reheated before serving.

This section includes information on cooking safely,

foods that need extra care, reheating, hot holding and

ready-to-eat food.

This page has been left intentionally blank

Safe method:

Cooking safely

Thorough cooking kills harmful bacteria.

Safety points Why?

Where appropriate, follow the manufacturer’s

cooking instructions for food products.

The manufacturer has tried and tested safe cooking

methods speciﬁcally for its products.

Preheat equipment such as ovens and grills before

cooking.

If you use equipment before it has preheated, food will take

longer to cook. This means that recommended cooking

times in recipes or manufacturer’s instructions might not

be long enough.

Do not let raw food touch or drip onto cooked food

e.g. when adding food to the grill/barbecue. Never

use the same utensils, plates or containers for raw

and cooked or ready-to-eat food.

Raw food can carry harmful bacteria, which could spread

onto cooked food and stop it being safe.

If you serve beef or lamb rare (whole cuts such as

steaks and whole joints only), make sure all of the

outside surfaces are fully cooked, e.g. by sealing in

a pan.

This will kill harmful bacteria on the outside of the meat.

Pork and rolled joints should not be served rare.

Liver and offal must be cooked all the way through.

When preparing dishes, such as liver pâté or parfait,

the liver should be cooked until there is no pink

meat left.

Harmful bacteria can be found in the centre of liver as well

as the outside.

Turn meat and poultry during cooking. This helps it cook more evenly.

Make sure liquid dishes, e.g. soups and sauces, are

simmering and stir them frequently.

This is to make sure the food is hot enough to kill

bacteria. Stirring will help make sure the food is the same

temperature all the way through.

Cooking safely

Check it – use these checks to tell if food is properly cooked.

Check that birds are

cooked properly in the

thickest part of the leg.

The meat should not be

pink or red.

The juices should not

have any pink or red in

them.

The largest piece of meat in stews, curries etc. should

be steaming hot all the way through with no pink or

red.

Check that whole cuts of pork and processed meat

products, such as sausages and burgers, are steaming

hot all the way through with no pink or red in the

centre.

Check that combination dishes are piping hot

(steaming) in the centre. If you are cooking a large dish

or batch, check in several places.

Check that liquid dishes bubble rapidly when you stir

them.

Check that all the outside surfaces of whole cuts of

meat and whole joints (beef or lamb) are fully cooked.

To check ﬁsh is cooked through cut into the centre of

ﬁsh, or by the bone if there is one, to check that the

colour and texture has changed. Tuna steaks can be

served ‘rare’ as long as they have been fully seared on

the outside.

To check a pork

joint or rolled

meat joint, insert

a skewer into the

centre until juices

run out. The juices

should not have

any pink or red in

them.

What to do if things go wrong

• Cook the food for longer.

• Speed up the cooking process, for example by

dividing the food into smaller quantities, or

using different equipment.

How to stop this happening again

• Repair or replace equipment.

• Review your cooking method. You might need to

increase the time or temperature, or use different

equipment.

• Train staff again on this safe method.

• Improve staff supervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Foods that need extra care

Some foods need to be treated with extra

care to make sure they are safe to eat.

Remember that raw food is often the main source of bacteria in the kitchen.

Follow the advice in the ‘Cooking safely’ safe method on how to cook these foods. You should

also take care with the following foods.

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

Eggs

Cook eggs and foods containing

eggs thoroughly until they are

steaming hot.

Eggs can contain harmful bacteria.

If you cook them thoroughly this

kills any bacteria.

List the dishes containing eggs that you

prepare or cook.

Do you cook eggs and food containing

eggs thoroughly until they are steaming

hot?

Yes

If not, what do you do?

Use pasteurised egg (not ordinary

eggs) in any food that will not be

cooked, or only lightly cooked

e.g. mayonnaise and mousse.

Pasteurisation also kills bacteria,

which is why pasteurised egg is

the safest option.

Do not use eggs after the ‘best

before’ date.

Make sure you rotate stock and

use the oldest eggs ﬁrst.

After this date, there is a greater

chance of harmful bacteria

growing in the eggs.

Rice

When you have cooked rice,

make sure you keep it hot until

serving or chill it down as quickly

as possible and then keep it in the

fridge.

You can make rice chill down

more quickly by dividing it into

smaller portions, spreading it out

on a clean tray, or running it under

cold water (make sure the water is

clean and drinking quality).

Rice can contain spores of a type

of harmful bacteria that may not

be killed by cooking or reheating.

If cooked rice is left at room

temperature, spores can multiply

and produce toxins that cause

food poisoning. Reheating will not

get rid of these

How do you keep rice hot before

serving?

If you chill down rice how do you do

this?

Pulses

Follow the instructions on the

packaging on how to soak

and cook dried pulses, such

as beans.

Pulses can contain natural toxins

that could make people ill unless

they are destroyed by the proper

method of soaking and cooking.

Tinned pulses will have been

soaked and cooked already.

Do you follow the manufacturer’s

instructions when cooking pulses?

Yes

If not, what do you do?

Foods that need extra care

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

Shellﬁsh

Make sure you buy shellﬁsh from a

reputable supplier.

If you do not use a reputable

supplier, you cannot be conﬁdent

that shellﬁsh have been caught and

handled safely.

Crabs, crayﬁsh and lobster should

be prepared by someone with

specialist knowledge.

Some parts of these shellﬁsh

cannot be eaten and some are

poisonous, so it is important to

know how to remove these parts

safely.

If you prepare crabs, crayﬁsh or lobster,

are these prepared by someone with

specialist knowledge?

Yes

If not, what do you do?

Shellﬁsh such as prawns and

scallops will change in colour and

texture when they are cooked.

For example, prawns turn from

blue-grey to pink and scallops

become milky white and ﬁrm.

Langoustines (also called scampi

or Dublin Bay prawns) are pink

when raw and the ﬂesh becomes

ﬁrm and pink-white when they are

cooked.

If you use ready-cooked (pink)

prawns, serve them cold or reheat

them until they are piping hot all

the way through.

List the types of shellﬁsh you serve or use

as an ingredient.

Before cooking mussels and clams,

throw away any with open or

damaged shells.

If the shell is damaged or open

before cooking, the shellﬁsh might

not be safe to eat.

To check that a mussel or clam

is cooked, make sure the shell

is open and that the mussel or

clam has shrunk inside the shell.

If the shell has not opened during

cooking, throw it away.

Fish

Make sure you buy ﬁsh from a

reputable supplier.

If you buy fresh ﬁsh make sure you

store it between 0°C and 4°C. If

you buy frozen ﬁsh then keep it

frozen until you are ready to use it.

Certain types of ﬁsh, such as

mackerel, tuna, anchovies and

herrings, can cause food poisoning

if not kept at the correct

temperature.

Safe method:

Reheating

It is very important to reheat food properly to kill harmful

bacteria that may have grown since the food was cooked.

Safety points Why?

Make sure you use equipment

that reheats/cooks food

effectively and follow the

equipment manufacturer’s

instructions.

If equipment is not suitable for reheating, or is not used properly, the food might

not get hot enough to kill bacteria.

Preheat equipment such

as ovens and grills before

reheating.

Food will take longer to reheat if you use equipment before it has preheated.

This means that recommended reheating times in recipes or manufacturer’s

instructions might not be long enough.

If you are reheating food in a

microwave, follow the product

manufacturer’s instructions,

including advice on standing

and stirring.

If you use a microwave to

reheat food that you have

cooked yourself, it is a good

idea to stir it at stages while

reheating.

The manufacturer has tested its instructions to make sure that products will be

properly reheated. Standing and stirring are part of the process of cooking/

reheating in a microwave and help make sure the food is the same temperature

all the way through.

When food is microwaved, it can be very hot at the edges and still be cold in the

centre – stirring helps to prevent this.

Serve reheated food

immediately, unless it is going

straight into hot holding.

If food is not served immediately, the temperature will drop and harmful

bacteria could grow.

Think twice!

Remember, reheating means cooking again, not just warming up. Always reheat food until it is steaming hot all the

way through (you should only do this once). Do not put food into hot holding without reheating it properly ﬁrst.

Reheating

Check it

Check that reheated food is piping hot (steaming) all the way through.

Your check

If you use a different check,

you will need to prove that it

is safe. See the ‘Prove it’ safe

method in the Management

section. Give details of your

check here:

Types of dish

What to do if things go wrong

• If the equipment seems to be working, reheat

the dish for longer and then test it again.

• Speed up the reheating process by using

smaller portions.

How to stop this happening again

• Check your equipment is working correctly.

• Review your reheating method – you may need to

increase the time and/or temperature, use different

equipment or change the size of portions.

• Train staff again on this safe method.

• Improve staff supervision

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Safe method:

Checking your menu

It is important to show how you check that

dishes on your menu are properly cooked.

How to use this sheet

This sheet is for you to show how you check key cooked dishes. It focuses on types of dish where proper cooking

is essential to kill harmful bacteria. Before you start, make sure you have read the ‘Cooking safely’ and ‘Foods that

need extra care’ safe methods.

Different checks are suitable for different types of dish. For each type of key cooked dish on your menu, choose a

check from the list below and write the type of dish next to the appropriate check.

You do not need to write down eggs and pulses, these are covered by the ‘Foods that need extra care’ safe

method. Also fruit and vegetables and ready-to-eat food are included in the ‘Ready-to-eat food’ safe method.

Check Types of dish

If you serve beef or lamb rare

(whole cuts such as steaks and

whole joints only), make sure all

of the outside surfaces are fully

cooked.

e.g. steaks, leg of lamb

Check that birds are cooked

properly in the thickest part of the

leg. The meat should not be pink

or red and the juices should not

have any pink or red in them.

e.g. roast chicken, turkey

Check that rolled meat joints,

whole cuts of pork and processed

meat products, such as sausages

and burgers, are steaming hot all

the way through with no pink or

red in the centre.

e.g. sausages, pork chops, rolled joint

Check that livers and offal are

cooked thoroughly. When

preparing dishes such as liver

pâté or parfait, the liver should be

cooked through and should not be

pink inside.

e.g. fried liver, pâté, parfait

Check that liquid dishes bubble

rapidly when you stir them.

e.g. gravy, soup

Cut into the centre of ﬁsh, or by

the bone if there is one, to check

that the colour and texture has

changed and the ﬁsh is cooked

through.

e.g. salmon

Checking your menu

Check Types of dish

The largest piece of meat in stews,

curries, stir-fries etc. should be

steaming hot all the way through

with no pink or red.

e.g. curries, casseroles

Check that combination dishes

are piping hot (steaming) in the

centre.

e.g. lasagne, ﬁsh pie

Check that shellﬁsh such as prawns

have changed in colour and

texture.

e.g. prawns in garlic butter

To check that a mussel or clam

is cooked, make sure the shell is

open and the mussel or clam has

shrunk inside the shell.

e.g. moules marinière

Steaming hot

Make sure food is piping hot (steaming) all the way through.

You should use this check:

• whenreheatingfood

• whenyoucannotndanothersuitablecheckforoneof

your dishes

Types of dish

Probes

You could also use a temperature

probe to check that dishes are

properly cooked or reheated. See

the ‘Prove it’ safe method in the

Management section.

Types of dish

Your check

If you use a different check, you

will need to prove that it is safe.

See the ‘Prove it’ safe method in

the Management section.

Give details of your check here:

Types of dish

If your menu changes substantially, you may need to ﬁll out this sheet again.

You can download another copy from www.food.gov.uk/catering

Safe method:

Hot holding

It is very important to keep food hot until serving

to prevent harmful bacteria from growing.

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

If you need to keep

food hot before serving,

you should use suitable

equipment.

It is difﬁcult to hold food at a consistent, safe

temperature without suitable equipment.

Bain-marie Soup kettle

Do you hot hold?

Yes No

What equipment do you use?

Preheat hot holding

equipment before you

put any food in it.

Putting food into cold equipment means it

might not be kept hot enough to stop

harmful bacteria growing.

Food must be cooked

thoroughly and

steaming hot before hot

holding begins.

Hot holding equipment is for hot holding only.

It should not be used to cook or reheat food.

Do you do this?

Yes No

Think twice!

Hot food must be kept at 63°C or above, except for certain exceptions.

When you display hot food, e.g. on a buffet, you should use suitable hot holding equipment to keep it above 63°C.

If this is not possible, you can take food out of hot holding to display it for up to two hours, but you can only do this

once.

Food that has not been used within two hours, should either be reheated until it is steaming hot and put back

in hot holding or chilled down as quickly as possible to 8°C or below. If it has been out for more than two hours

throw it away. Remember to keep the food at a safe temperature until it is used.

If you do take food out of hot holding to display it, remember not to mix new food with the food that is already on

display. This could lead to the older food being left out for too long.

Hot holding

Check it

Make sure food is piping

hot (steaming) all the way

through from the moment

it is cooked to the moment

it is served.

If you do not do this, what

do you do?

What to do if things go wrong

If a dish is not hot enough at any point during hot

holding:

• reheat it until it is steaming hot and put back into

hot holding (you should only do this once)

• or chill down the food safely (see the ‘Chilling

down hot food’ safe method in the Chilling section)

and reheat it later before serving

If you cannot do either of these things, throw the

food away.

Remember that some foods need extra care. See the

‘Foods that need extra care’ safe method.

How to stop this happening again

• Check your equipment is working correctly.

• Review your hot holding safe method. Try using a higher

temperature setting or smaller quantities of food.

• Train staff again on this safe method.

• Improve staff supervision.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Prove it

If you would like extra reassurance that food in hot holding is hot enough, you can use a temperature probe

as a one-off test to prove that your method keeps food at a safe temperature. (See the ‘Prove it’ method in the

Management section for advice on using probes safely.)

Safe method:

Ready-to-eat food

It is important to handle ready-to-eat food safely

to protect it from harmful bacteria.

What are ready-to-eat food

Ready-to-eat food is food that will not be cooked or reheated before serving. These include salads, ham, smoked

ﬁsh, desserts, sandwiches, cheese and food that you have cooked in advance to serve cold.

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

To protect food from harmful

bacteria:

• keep ready-to-eat food

completely separate from raw

meat, poultry, ﬁsh, eggs and

unwashed vegetables

• make sure work surfaces,

chopping boards, knives etc.

are clean (and disinfected if you

have prepared raw food)

• keep ready-to-eat food covered

at all times during preparation

and storage

This is to prevent harmful bacteria

getting onto the food. This is

especially important for ready-

to-eat food because it will not

be cooked or reheated before

serving.

List the types of ready-to-eat food you

use:

Follow the manufacturer’s

instructions on how to store and

prepare the food, if these are

available.

The manufacturer’s instructions

are designed to keep the food

safe.

Are you conﬁdent that you do this for all

ready-to-eat food where instructions are

available? Yes

When preparing fruit, vegetables

and salad ingredients:

• peel, trim, or remove the outer

parts, as appropriate

• wash them thoroughly by

rubbing vigorously in a bowl of

clean water

• wash the cleanest ones rst

Wash your hands before and after

handling fruit and vegetables.

If you have prepared vegetables

that have dirt or soil on the

outside, clean and then disinfect

chopping boards and work

surfaces before preparing other

food.

The dirt on vegetables and salad

ingredients can contain harmful

bacteria. Peeling and washing

helps to remove the dirt and

bacteria.

If not, what do you do?

Do you do this? Yes

Ready-to-eat food

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

Make sure you keep ready-to-eat

food cold enough. See ‘Chilled

storage and displaying chilled

food’ in the Chilling section.

Do not use ready-to-eat food after

the ‘use by’ date, if there is one.

For food you have prepared,

or removed from its original

packaging, you should have a

method of keeping track of when

food should be used or thrown

away.

If these types of food are not kept

cold enough, harmful bacteria

could grow.

You should never use food that has

passed its ‘use by’ date because it

might not be safe to eat.

If not, what do you do?

Do you do this? Yes

If you slice cooked meat:

• mak

e sure you follow the

manufacturer’s instructions

when you clean the slicer

• avoid handling the meat as

much as possible – it is a good

idea to use clean tongs or slice

meat straight onto a plate

Meat slicers need careful cleaning

and disinfecting to prevent dirt

building up and to stop harmful

bacteria growing, in particular on

the slicing blade.

Hands can easily spread harmful

bacteria onto food.

Are staff trained how to clean the meat

slicer properly, or supervised?

Yes

What to do if things go wrong

• If you think that a food delivery has not been

handled safely, reject the delivery.

• If ready-to-eat vegetables, fruit or salad ingredients

have not been washed properly, wash them

following the advice on the front of this sheet and

clean any work surfaces etc. they have touched.

• If ready-to-eat food has been prepared on a work

surface or with a knife that has been used for raw

meat, poultry, ﬁsh, eggs or unwashed fruit and

vegetables, throw the food away.

• If ready-to-eat food has not been chilled safely,

throw the food away.

How to stop this happening again

• If you do not think a supplier handles food safely, consider

changing to a new supplier.

• Review the way you receive deliveries.

• Review the way you store and prepare

ready-to-eat food.

• Train staff again on this safe method.

• Improve staff supervision.

Think twice!

You should not use the same machinery and equipment, such as vacuum packing machines, slicers and mincers for

both raw and ready-to-eat food. This is because it is not possible to clean equipment thoroughly enough to be sure

all harmful bacteria have been removed. Any bacteria could then spread to ready-to-eat food.

If you are preparing both raw and ready-to-eat food, you should make sure where possible this is done in separate

clean and disinfected areas. If this is not possible, surface and utensils used must be thoroughly cleaned and then

disinfected between tasks.

Make sure staff wash their hands thoroughly between tasks, especially when working with raw and ready-to-eat

food. This stops bacteria being spread onto foods, surfaces and equipment.

Write down what went wrong and what you did about it in your diary.

Management

Managing your business effectively is vital for food safety.

This section includes information on different management

issues, including checks to do when you open and close,

suppliers and contractors, stock control, and training

and supervising staff.

The Management section should be used alongside the

diary, which should be signed every day by the person

responsible for running the business.

This page has been left intentionally blank

Safe method:

Opening and closing checks

It is essential that you and your staff do certain

checks every time you open and close. This helps you

maintain the basic standards you need to make sure

that your business makes food safely.

Opening checks

You should do these checks at the beginning of the day. You can also add your own checks to the list.

Your fridges, chilled display equipment and freezers are working properly.

Your other equipment (e.g. oven) is working properly.

Staff are ﬁt for work and wearing clean work clothes.

Food preparation areas are clean and disinfected, where appropriate (work surfaces, equipment, utensils etc.)

There are plenty of handwashing and cleaning materials (soap, paper towels, cloths etc.)

Closing checks

You should do these checks at the end of the day. You can also add your own checks to the list.

No food is left out.

Food past its ‘use by’ date has been thrown away.

Dirty cloths have been removed for cleaning and replaced with clean ones.

Waste has been removed and new bags put into the bins.

The opening and closing checks are also listed in the diary.

Safe method:

Extra checks

Carrying out extra checks regularly helps you

make sure your methods are being followed.

Some of the safe methods in the rest of the pack advise you to check certain things regularly. These are less

frequent than the daily opening and closing checks. You might ﬁnd it helpful to have all these checks written

down in one place.

In the table below there are examples of some extra checks. Write down the details of extra checks that you do

and how often you do them. You can add other checks below.

When you carry out extra checks, do not forget to make a note of them in the diary.

What to do

Deep clean

(example)

e.g. Clean behind

equipment, vents, walls,

ceilings, outside waste areas

etc.

Deep clean e.g. Clean behind

equipment, vents, walls,

ceilings, outside waste areas

etc.

Maintenance e.g. Clear drains, clean

extractor fans/ﬁlters and

fridge/freezer condensers.

Dishwasher Remove food debris and

lime scale from water jets,

ﬁlters and drains. Clean

around door seals etc.

Temperature

probe

If you use a probe, check

regularly that it is accurate.

Pest control

check

e.g. Look for signs of

damage to walls, doors etc.

that could let in pests, and

signs of pests.

Details of check

Deep clean of whole kitchen area and

outside waste area including walls,

ceilings, extractor fan, vents

How often?

Every 6 weeks usually

on a Thursday

Safe method:

Prove it

Sometimes you might want to use a probe

to prove that your methods are safe.

Safe method What to do How to do it

Cooking and reheating The ‘Cooking safely’ and ‘Reheating’ safe

methods in the Cooking section tell you

how to check that food is thoroughly

cooked/reheated. If you do a different

check then you will n

eed to prove that it is safe.

You only need to do this once.

The food is safe if it has reached a high

enough temperature for a long enough

time.

If you want to check the temperature of a

food, use a clean probe. Insert the probe so

that the tip is in the centre of the food (or

the thickest part).

Examples of safe time/temperature

combinations include:

• 80°Cforatleast6seconds

• 75°Cforatleast30seconds

• 70°Cforatleast2minutes

• 65°Cforatleast10minutes

• 60°Cforatleast45minutes

Hot holding The ‘Hot holding’ safe method in the

Cooking section tells you how to hot hold

safely. It is a legal requirement that hot

food must be kept above 63°C.

To check that food in hot holding is above

63°C,useacleanprobe.Inserttheprobe

so the tip is in the centre of the food (or the

thickest part).

Chilling down hot food

Chilled storage and

displaying chilled food

The ‘Chilling down hot food’ safe method

in the Chilling section tells you how to

chill down hot food safely and the ‘Chilled

storage and displaying chilled food’ safe

method tells you how to keep food cold.

It is a legal requirement in England,

Wales and Northern Ireland, and

recommended in Scotland, that certain

chilled foods must be kept at 8°C or

below.

Sometimes there might be more than

one way of chilling down hot food that is

suitable for what you are doing. Then you

might want to compare different options to

ﬁnd out which is most effective.

Compare different chilling options by trying

them out with the same food.

Tocheckthatfoodisat8°Corbelow,use

a clean probe. Insert the probe so that

the tip is in the centre of the food (or the

thickest part).

When you have just cooked the food, test

its temperature with a clean probe. Start

to chill it using one option and test the

temperature again at regular intervals to

see how quickly it is dropping.

Repeat this with other options

to see which is fastest.

You can record what you have done to prove your methods on the

‘Prove it: records’ sheet in the diary.

Prove it

Probe type Where to use the probe How to use the probe

Dial thermometer These are commonly used to test meat.

Some are oven-safe and can be left

in the meat while it cooks. Others are

not oven-safe and are designed to be

inserted when you have cooked the

meat.

If the probe is not already in the meat,

insert it and leave it for up to two

minutes before taking a reading. Clean

the probe thoroughly and disinfect it

before you use it again. This helps to

prevent cross-contamination.

Digital thermometer These are generally easy to use and

accurate. They can be used with lots of

foods, but they are not suitable to go in

the oven.

Insert the probe. Wait for the display to

stabilise before taking a reading. Clean

the probe thoroughly and disinfect it

before you use it again. This helps to

prevent cross-contamination.

Checking your probe

It is essential to know that your probe is working properly, so you can rely on its readings.

So you should check it regularly. The manufacturer’s instructions should include details of

how often a probe needs to be checked and how to tell if it is accurate.

A simple way to check a digital probe is to put it in iced water and boiling water:

• Thereadingsinicedwatershouldbebetween-1°Cand1°C.

• Thereadingsinboilingwatershouldbebetween99°Cand101°C.

If the reading is outside this range, you should replace your probe or return it to the manufacturer to be calibrated.

Looking after your probe

It is very important to keep your probe clean, otherwise it could spread dirt and harmful bacteria to the food you

are testing. After a probe has been inserted into food, clean and disinfect it between use.

You need to look after your probe to prevent it from getting damaged and help keep it working properly. Do not

leave a digital probe inside your fridge or freezer, or on hot surfaces. When you are not using it, store it safely,

away from extreme temperatures and liquids. Keep the probe in its case, if it has one. Avoid banging or dropping

your probe. If the battery is low, replace it immediately.

Safe method:

Training and supervision

It is essential to train and supervise your staff

effectively to make sure they handle food safely.

You should train your staff in all the safe methods that are relevant to the job they do. You should also supervise

them to check they are following the safe methods properly.

What to do How?

Once you have worked through them, use the safe

methods in this pack to train staff. You need to be sure

that each member of staff knows the safe methods for

all the tasks they do.

Show the member of staff what to do, question them

carefully on their knowledge and then ask them to show

you.

Make sure you know what training each member of staff

has received.

Make a note on the Staff training record in the diary

every time you train a member of staff.

Watch the member of staff when they are carrying out a

task as part of their work.

hen a member of staff has completed a task, ask them

bout how they followed the safe method, to help you

nd out if they did it correctly.

Make comments and observations to help the member

of staff improve the way they work.

Reward good performance by giving positive feedback

when the member of staff has followed

the safe method successfully.

If the safe method is not being followed by the member

of staff, tell them how they are going wrong and why it

is important to follow the safe method.

ﬁ

What to do if things go wrong

If staff are not following a safe method properly, train

them again and make sure they understand why it is

important to follow the method.

How to stop this happening again

Usethe4-weeklyreviewinthediarytoidentifyany

problems with how staff are following safe methods and

plan your training to address these.

Manage it

When you sign the diary you are conﬁrming that you have supervised all the staff involved in making food that

day. This means making sure that your staff follow your safe methods and that any problems are being solved and

recorded in the diary.

If you are away from the business, you can give responsibility for the diary to a member of staff. Sometimes there

may be more than one person responsible during the day, e.g. when there is more than one shift, and in these

cases the diary may need more than one signature.

Make a note in the diary of those members of staff who have been given this responsibility and train them on all

the relevant safe methods, including any in the Management section. Staff must understand how the diary works.

If something different happens, or something goes wrong, they will need to take action and make a note of what

theyhavedoneinthediary.Youshouldstillcompletethe4-weeklyreviewyourself.

Safe method:

Customers

Customer feedback is a good indication of

how well you are managing your business.

Keeping your customers happy and protecting their health with good food hygiene is essential

to the success of your business. So it is very important to pay attention to any complaints.

What to do How?

Listen to complaints. Listen to any complaints carefully and write down

the details. These could point out a problem in your

business.

Find the source of the problem. Work out how the problem arose. This is especially

important if it is a problem affecting food safety. If a

customer complains of being made ill by your food

you should investigate carefully.

Solve the problem. Review the relevant safe methods. You may need to

change how you do things. Note any changes in the

diary.

Train staff on how to deal with customers. It is important that staff know how to respond to

customer feedback and what action to take.

Safe method:

Suppliers and contractors

How you handle suppliers and contractors

is important to food safety.

What to do Why? How do you do this?

Choose suppliers

carefully.

It is important to have suppliers

that you can trust to handle food

safely, as well as delivering on time

etc.

Choose contractors

carefully.

Services such as pest control can

be valuable in helping you to make

food safely. It is important to have

contractors you can trust to deliver

these services effectively.

• Makesureyouchoosesuppliersyoucantrust.

• Askthefollowingquestions:

– Does the supplier store, transport and pack their

goods in a hygienic way?

– Does the supplier/contractor supply fully

referenced invoices?

– Do they have any certiﬁcation or quality

assurance?

• Askotherbusinessesforrecommendations.

Make sure that your

raw ingredients

have been handled

safely.

The starting point for making food

safely is to be conﬁdent about

the safety of your raw ingredients

and any ready-made products you

buy in.

• Checkthatthesupplierhasafoodsafety

management system.

• Carryoutregulardeliverytime,temperatureand

quality spot checks.

• Ifyoubuygoodsfromacashandcarry,makesure

that the vehicle you use to transport them is clean

and that you bring chilled and frozen food back as

soon as possible and put it straight into

a fridge or freezer.

Keep a record of

what food products

you have bought,

who you bought

them from, the

quantity and the

date.

This is a legal requirement and is so

that you or an enforcement ofﬁcer

can check back to see where a food

came from.

Ideally, you should keep these

records until you are reasonably

sure that the food they refer to has

been consumed.

• Usuallytheeasiestwaytodothisistokeepallyour

invoices and receipts. Or you might want to record

the information in a different way, for example

keeping a record of the batch number and other

details.

• Keeptheserecordsinawaythatmakesiteasyfor

you or an enforcement ofﬁcer to check them.

Choose equipment

carefully.

To allow you to make food safely,

it is very important for equipment

to work effectively.

• Buyequipmentfromreputabledealers.

• Makesureithasaguarantee/warranty.

What to do if things go wrong

If you do not think that the food a supplier delivers has been handled safely (for example, if you think it has not

been kept cold enough) reject the delivery, contact your supplier immediately and write the details in the diary.

If you have repeated problems, you can do the following things:

1. Contactthesupplier/contractorbyphone. 3. Changesupplier/contractor.

2. Writeaformalletterofcomplaint. 4. Contactyourlocalauthority.

Safe method:

Stock control

Effective stock control is an important

part of managing food safety.

What to do Why? How do you do this?

Go through your menu and

estimate how much of each

ingredient you will need.

Working through the menu

allows you to plan for your

speciﬁc needs.

• Reviewyourmenuregularlyandhowitaffects

your needs for stock.

• Discussyourneedswithyoursupplier.

Plan ahead to make sure you

have the right amount of stock

and order carefully.

Not having too much stock

is best for food safety – and

your proﬁts.

• Planthestockyouneedforeachshift.

• Makesurestaffknowthestockrequirementsfor

each shift.

• Useasupplierwhounderstandsyourbusiness

needs and supplies stock on time.

• Doastockcheckbeforeplacinganorder.

Check all stock when it is

delivered to make sure that:

• itiswithinits‘useby’date

• ithasbeenkeptcoldenough

• ithasnotgoneoff

• thestockiscleanandnot

damaged, e.g. throw away

any punctured vacuum

packs, swollen packs or

badly dented cans and

check that tops are secure

on bottles and jars and seals

are unbroken

These checks are all to make

sure that food is safe for you

to use.

Damaged packaging could

mean that food will not be

safe to use.

Swollen or ‘blown’ packs can

be a sign that bacteria have

grown in food or drinks.

If bottles or jars have been

opened, or if seals have

been broken, the food or

drink might not be safe to

use.

• Trainyourstaffinwhattolookforwhenchecking

deliveries.

• Haveawrittenagreementwithyoursupplier

about your delivery requirements.

• Carryoutspotchecksonthedeliveriesyourself.

• Usethediarytorecordanyissuesorproblems

with deliveries.

• Ifyoumovefoodfromitsoriginalpackagingto

another container, make sure you make a note

of the name of the food, the ingredients and

the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date.

Carry out regular stock checks

and throw away any food that

has passed its ‘use by’ date.

You should never use food

that has passed its ‘use by’

date, because it might not

be safe to eat.

• Followthe‘rstin,rstout’systemofstock

rotation, so that older stock is used ﬁrst. This

helps to avoid waste.

• Trainyourstaffinstockcontrolandmakesure

they know in what order to use foods.

• Checkregularlythatstockcontrolisbeing

carried out effectively.

• Recordstockchecksinthediary.

What to do if things go wrong

• Ifyoundthatyouhavemorefoodinstockthanyou

need and you do not think you will use it all before the

‘use by’ date, you could freeze some of it to be used in

the future. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on

freezing and label the food as appropriate.

• Ifyoundthatfoodthathaspassedits‘useby’

date has not been thrown away, throw it away

immediately.

• Ifyoudonotthinkthatafooddeliveryhasbeen

handled safely, reject the delivery if possible. Do not

use the food and contact your supplier immediately.

How to stop this happening again

• Reviewyourorderingprocess.

• Reviewyourstockrotationsystem.

• Reviewyouragreementwithyoursupplier.

• Trainstaffagainonthissafemethod.

• Improvestaffsupervision.

Safe method:

Product withdrawal and recall

Responding quickly to any problems with food products

you use or sell is an important part of managing food

safety in your business.

Sometimes there will be a problem with a food product that means you will need to ‘withdraw’ it (when you

should stop using/selling it) and/or ‘recall’ it (when customers are asked to return/destroy a product).

You may ﬁnd out about a problem with a product from:

• amanufactureroftheproduct

• asupplierorwholesaler

• anoticeinnewspapers

• yourlocalauthority

• atradeassociation

• theFoodStandardsAgency

If you hear about a problem with a product, you should stop using/selling it straight away. You might also need

to tell your customers.

There are a number of reasons that a product might be withdrawn or recalled. For example, it could have been

found to:

• containharmfulbacteria

• bephysicallycontaminated,e.g.withpiecesofglassormetal

• bewronglylabelled,whichcouldbeaproblemforpeoplewithfoodallergies

You or your staff may also notice a problem with a food product that means it may not be safe to eat. If this

happens, you should stop using/selling it straight away and tell your local authority and the Food Standards

Agency.

What to do How?

Make sure you know the details of the

problem.

If a manufacturer or supplier has issued a product withdrawal or recall,

make sure you know which product and which batches are affected.

As soon as you ﬁnd out about a

problem with a product, stop using/

selling it.

Remove the affected product from anywhere you use, store or sell it and

label it clearly to show it should not be used/sold.

Remember to check if you have used the product as an ingredient in any

food you have prepared and stored, e.g. in the freezer – if you have, ask

your local authority for advice.

Make sure your staff know about the

problem.

This is so your staff know what to do and do not use/sell the product.

Tell your customers if you need to. If the problem is with a product that your customers might not eat or

drink straight away, you may need to let them know that the product is

being recalled and why. If the manufacturer or supplier asks you to put up

a recall notice, you should do this. If you are not sure what to do, contact

your local authority.

Think twice!

It is a legal requirement to keep a record of what food products you have bought, who you bought them from,

the quantity and the date. Usually the easiest way to do this is to keep all your invoices and receipts. You should keep

this information in a way that makes it easy for you or an enforcement ofﬁcer to check back to see where a product

came from.

This page has been left intentionally blank

Safe method completion record

To complete the pack you need to work through each section and complete all the safe methods that are

relevant to your business. Most small caterers will need to ﬁll in all the methods.Butif,forexample,a

business does not hot hold food then the ‘Hot holding’ method will not be relevant to them.

It does not matter in what order you work through the safe methods. As you complete each one, ﬁll in this record.

When you have completed all the safe methods that are relevant to your business, this sheet will show that you

have worked through the pack.

Safe method

Cross-contamination

Personal hygiene

Cloths

Separating foods

Food allergies

Physical and chemical contamination

Pest control

Maintenance

Cleaning

Handwashing

Cleaning effectively

Clear and clean as you go

Your cleaning schedule

Chilling

Chilled storage and displaying chilled

food

Chilling down hot food

Defrosting

Freezing

Date Signature

Safe method not

relevant to my

business – tick if

this is the case

Safe method completion record

(continued)

Safe method

Cooking

Cooking safely

Foods that need extra care

Reheating

Checking your menu

Hot holding

Ready-to-eat food

Management

Opening and closing checks

Extra checks

Prove it

Training and supervision

Customers

Suppliers and contractors

Stock control

Product withdrawal and recall

Date Signature

Safe method not

relevant to my

business – tick if

this is the case

Diary

Name:

Business:

Address:

Start date:

End date:

This page has been left intentionally blank

Introduction

How does this diary work?

The diary is specially designed to help you run your business effectively. It contains:

• week-to-view diary pages

• checks to do every day when you open and close

• 4-weekly review

• staff training record

• suppliers’ list

• cleaning schedule

The manager should sign the diary every day to say that:

• the opening and closing checks have been done

• your safe methods have been followed

The diary should take about one minute a day to complete, unless you have something special to write down.

If anything different happens, or if something goes wrong, you should make a note in the diary of what happened

and what you did. This is so you can show that you have taken action to make sure that food is safe to eat.

If the manager is not in, he or she can give responsibility for the diary to another member of staff. See the ‘Training

and supervision’ safe method in the Management section.

4-weekly review

The 4-weekly review gives you the opportunity to look back at previous weeks and identify any persistent

problems. Write down details of these and how you decide to tackle them. You might need to train staff again

on certain safe methods and/or change how you do things.

You may ﬁnd it useful to read the 4-weekly review before starting to use the diary. It will give you an idea of the

kind of things you might need to write down during the week.

Opening and closing checks

It is essential that you and your staff do certain checks every time you open and close. Make sure you have worked

through the ‘Opening and closing checks’ safe method in the Management section. You might ﬁnd it helpful, on a

daily basis, to use the list of opening and closing checks in this diary (see over).

Introduction

Opening checks

You should do these checks at the beginning of the day. You can also add your own checks to the list.

Your fridges, chilled display equipment and freezers are working properly.

Your other equipment (e.g. oven) is working properly.

Staff are ﬁt for work and wearing clean work clothes.

Food preparation areas are clean and disinfected, where appropriate (work surfaces, equipment, utensils etc.)

There are plenty of handwashing and cleaning materials (soap, paper towels, cloths etc.)

Closing checks

You should do these checks at the end of the day. You can also add your own checks to the list.

No food is left out.

Food past its ‘use by’ date has been thrown away.

Dirty cloths have been removed for cleaning and replaced with clean ones.

Waste has been removed and new bags put into the bins.

Extra checks

Extra checks are less frequent than the opening and closing checks. See the ‘Extra checks’ safe method in the

Management section. There is a box at the end of each week in the diary pages for you to ﬁll in any extra checks

you have done.

Staff training record

For each member of staff, make a note of when they have

been trained on different safe methods.

Name:

Telephone no:

Address:

Safe method

on ﬁrst day:

Date Initials

Working with food? sheet

Opening and closing checks

Cross-contamination

Cleaning

Chilling

Cooking

Management

Other training or retraining

Name:

Telephone no:

Address:

Safe method

on ﬁrst day:

Date Initials

Working with food? sheet

Opening and closing checks

Cross-contamination

Cleaning

Chilling

Cooking

Management

Other training or retraining

Name:

Telephone no:

Address:

Safe method

on ﬁrst day:

Date Initials

Working with food? sheet

Opening and closing checks

Cross-contamination

Cleaning

Chilling

Cooking

Management

Other training or retraining

Name:

Telephone no:

Address:

Safe method

on ﬁrst day:

Date Initials

Working with food? sheet

Opening and closing checks

Cross-contamination

Cleaning

Chilling

Cooking

Management

Other training or retraining

Staff training record (continued)

Name:

Telephone no:

Address:

Safe method

on ﬁrst day:

Date Initials

Working with food? sheet

Opening and closing checks

Cross-contamination

Cleaning

Chilling

Cooking

Management

Other training or retraining

Name:

Telephone no:

Address:

Safe method

on ﬁrst day:

Date Initials

Working with food? sheet

Opening and closing checks

Cross-contamination

Cleaning

Chilling

Cooking

Management

Other training or retraining

Staff training record (continued)

Name:

Telephone no:

Address:

Safe method

on ﬁrst day:

Date Initials

Working with food? sheet

Opening and closing checks

Cross-contamination

Cleaning

Chilling

Cooking

Management

Other training or retraining

Name:

Telephone no:

Address:

Safe method

on ﬁrst day:

Date Initials

Working with food? sheet

Opening and closing checks

Cross-contamination

Cleaning

Chilling

Cooking

Management

Other training or retraining

Suppliers’ list

Lead time for

placing an order

e.g. Mon for Wed

Contact name: Goods supplied:

Telephone:

Address:

Lead time for

placing an order

e.g. Mon for Wed

Contact name: Goods supplied:

Telephone:

Address:

Business name: Delivery day(s):

Lead time for

placing an order

e.g. Mon for Wed

M T W T F S S

Contact name:

Telephone:

Address:

Business name: Delivery day(s): M T W T F S S

Goods supplied:

Suppliers’ list (continued)

Business name: Delivery day(s):

Lead time for

placing an order

e.g. Mon for Wed

M T W T F S S

Contact name:

Telephone:

Address:

Business name: Delivery day(s): M T W T F S S

Lead time for

placing an order

e.g. Mon for Wed

Contact name: Goods supplied:

Telephone:

Address:

Business name: Delivery day(s): M T W T F S S

Lead time for

placing an order

e.g. Mon for Wed

Contact name: Goods supplied:

Telephone:

Address:

Goods supplied:

Contacts list

You can use this sheet to write down the contact details of different services or people who you might need to

contact from day to day, or in an emergency. For example:

• environmentalhealthservice

• electrician

• plumber

• pestcontrolcontractor

• refusecollector/recyclingservice

Environmental health service

Contact name:

Telephone:

Address:

Useful for advice on:

Food hygiene

Pest control

Drainage

Noise and odour control

Product withdrawal and recall

Useful for advice on:

Contact name:

Telephone:

Address:

Useful for advice on:

Contact name:

Telephone:

Address:

Useful for advice on:

Contact name:

Telephone:

Address:

Contact list

Useful for advice on:

Contact name:

Telephone:

Address:

Useful for advice on:

Contact name:

Telephone:

Address:

Useful for advice on:

Contact name

Telephone:

Address:

Useful for advice on:

Contact name:

Telephone:

Address:

Useful for advice on:

Contact name

Telephone:

Address:

Cleaning schedule

Fill in details of all the items you clean

Item Frequency of cleaning Precautions Method of cleaning

e.g. wear gloves

After use

Every shift

Daily

Weekly

or goggles

Other

Work

surface

x Wear gloves

1. Remove any obvious food and dirt.

2. Wash the surface with hot soapy water (detergent diluted

according to manufacturer’s instructions) to remove grease and

any other food and dirt.

3. Rinse with clean water to remove the detergent and loosened

EXAMPLE

ood and dirt.

Apply a disinfectant. Make sure you leave it on for the contact

time recommended by the manufacturer.

5. Rinse with clean water to remove the disinfectant.

6. Leave to dry naturally or use a clean disposable cloth

Cleaning schedule

Fill in details of all the items you clean

Item Frequency of cleaning Precautions Method of cleaning

e.g. wear gloves

After use

Every shift

Daily

Weekly

or goggles

Other

Prove it: records

Sometimes you might want to prove that a method is safe, for example if you use a method that is different to

those recommended in the pack, or if you would like reassurance that a method is working properly. See the ‘Prove

it’ safe method in the Management section.

Safe method How did you prove it? Date

Notes

Week commencing:

Monday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Tuesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Thursday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Saturday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Extra checks

We have performed the following extra checks this

week.

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Wednesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Friday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Sunday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Week commencing:

Monday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Tuesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Thursday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Saturday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Extra checks

We have performed the following extra checks this

week.

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Wednesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Friday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Sunday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Week commencing:

Monday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Tuesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Thursday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Saturday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Extra checks

We have performed the following extra checks this

week.

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Wednesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Friday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Sunday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Week commencing:

Monday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Tuesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Thursday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Saturday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Extra checks

We have performed the following extra checks this

week.

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Wednesday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Friday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

Sunday

Any problems or changes – what did you do?

Opening checks Closing checks

Name Signed

__________________ _____________________

Our safe methods were followed and effectively supervised today.

           

    

     

    

4-weekly review

You should regularly review the methods used in your

business to check that they are up to date, and still being

followed by you and your staff.

You can use the checklist below to help you.

• Look back over the past 4 weeks’ diary entries. If you had a serious problem, or the same

thing went wrong three times or more, make a note of it here, ﬁnd out why and do

something about it.

Did you have a serious problem or did the same thing go wrong three times or more?

Yes



Details:

What did you do about it?

• Did you get a new member of staff in the past 4 weeks? Yes



Were they trained in your methods? Yes



• Have you changed your menu? Yes



Have you reviewed your safe methods? Yes



Any changes/new methods?

• Have you changed supplier/bought new ingredients? Yes



Do these affect any of your safe methods?

• Are you using any new/different equipment? Yes



Do these affect any of your safe methods?

• Other changes:

Notes

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