Most food businesses want a ‘5-star’ Food Hygiene Rating, but many don't realise how achievable it really is when the basics are done well and done consistently.
Here are 10 tips from an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) to help your business stand out for all the right reasons.
1. Keep your food safety management system in order
Have a documented food safety management system in place, based on the HACCP principles. This might be the Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) pack or a more advanced system, depending on your business. It should cover the risks in your operation and how you control them. It’s not enough to have a folder on the shelf. The procedures written down must reflect what’s actually happening in your kitchen.
2. Always have the basics in place
Hot and cold water supply to your sinks and hand wash sinks, soap, and hygienic hand drying materials (i.e. paper towels), and enough sanitiser (or anti-bac spray) to clean and disinfect surfaces and equipment throughout the shift. These things are just so easy to get right. Don’t lose points because of such basic, preventable things.
3. Your fridges and freezers tell a story
EHOs will open your fridges. What they find will speak volumes. Store food at the correct temperatures: chilled food at 8°C or below (ideally between 1–5°C), and frozen food at –18°C or colder. Make sure everything is clearly labelled and dated, remove foods past their use by dates, use proper containers, and keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separated.
4. Know your key temperatures
Every chef and food handler should know the core cooking temperature (75°C or above, or equivalent), hot holding (63°C or above), and what temperature food in your chillers and freezers should be. If people don’t know these, or can’t explain how to check them, it raises concerns about training.
5. Nail your cleaning routines
Cleaning is one of the most visible signs of control. EHOs will check whether it’s done thoroughly, and whether staff understand the basics. Key points include:
6. Cross-contamination risks can wreck your rating
Whether it’s raw meat stored above salad, or prepping raw foods next to cooked foods, it’s one of the fastest ways to tank your rating. EHOs expect clear procedures to prevent it, and for all food handlers to follow the procedures when working.
7. Train for real-world performance, not just a certificate
A certificate means nothing if the person holding it doesn’t follow or know the basics. EHOs will ask staff questions. They’ll watch how people work. If someone can’t explain what they’re doing, or does something unsafe in front of the officer, it reflects badly on the business, not just the individual. It will probably impact your food hygiene rating too.
8. Build a strong food safety culture
Food safety needs to be part of how your team operates every day. It’s more of a “this is how we do things around here”. This starts with managers setting the tone and leading by example.
9. Keep records up to date and available
Have your food safety records ready to show. These might include fridge and freezer temperature logs, cleaning schedules, opening and closing records, allergen information for your products, pest control records and training records. If they’re missing, incomplete or clearly backfilled, that’s a big problem.
10. Make sure someone on site can deal with the officer
Inspections are generally unannounced. There should always be someone on site who knows where the records are, understands the food safety system in detail, and can confidently walk the officer through what’s in place. If that person is off, make sure someone else is ready to step up.
Achieving a ‘5-star rating’ is very achievable. It’s about getting prepared and building a kitchen that works safely, consistently and confidently every day. These tips aren’t secrets to EHOs, but following them might just help your business stand out from the rest.