They can take action if they find that your standards of food hygiene are not good enough. In serious cases, action might include closing the premises or prosecution.
At the inspection, the officer will check the following three elements:
- how hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored.
- the physical condition of the business –including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and other facilities.
Environmental health officers have the right to enter and inspect food premises at all reasonable hours. They do not have to make an appointment and will usually come without notice.
Typical starting salaries range between £25,000 and £35,000. Senior or managerial level salaries, e.g. after ten to 15 years in the role, fall between £38,000 and £60,000.
You usually need a bachelor degree in environmental health, environmental science, health science, public health or another related field to work as an Environmental Health Officer. Some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification.
What are food hygiene ratings?
- 5 – hygiene standards are very good.
- 4 – hygiene standards are good.
- 3 – hygiene standards are generally satisfactory.
- 2 – some improvement is necessary.
- 1 – major improvement is necessary.
- 0 – urgent improvement or intervention is required.
EHOs can enter and inspect your food premises at any reasonable time and on any day of the week. They do not need to make an appointment with you, and they have the authority to turn up unannounced. You also cannot deny them entry as EHOs are legally obliged to inspect your premises.
detain or seize food. in serious cases they may decide to recommend a prosecution (if the prosecution is successful, the Court may impose prohibitions on processes and the use of premises and equipment, impose fines, prohibit someone from running a food business and possibly imprisonment for serious offences)
Staff handling food or working in a food handling area must report these symptoms to management immediately. Managers must exclude staff with these symptoms from working with or around open food, normally for 48 hours from when symptoms stop naturally.
What does an EHO look for?
- Safe food practices: How food is handled and how it's prepared/cooked. Whether good practices are followed, e.g. staff washing hands, pest control etc.
- Premises and environment. Cleaning techniques & schedules.
- Safety management. Whether you follow a food safety management system (e.g. HAACP)
The Act was introduced in the House of Commons in 1999. It sets out our main goal to protect public health in relation to food. It gives us the power to act in the consumer's interest at any stage in the food production and supply chain.
food flow—The path food takes from receiving and storage through preparation, cooking, holding, serving, cooling, and reheating.
Cooking thermometers or temperature probes can be an easy way to check if food is cooked properly. The food should reach a temperature of 70°C for more than two minutes, or 75°C for 30 seconds, in the middle or thickest part. Some types of food change colour when they're cooked.
Dropping cigarette butts is littering and it is a criminal offence to drop litter in the street. Anyone dropping smoking related litter may receive an £150 Fixed Penalty Notice and the offence attracts a maximum penalty of up to £2,500 and a criminal record for non-payment if convicted in a magistrates court.
Do I have to give my details to the officer? If you refuse to provide your personal details or give false details you have committed an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Police may well be called and if you continue to refuse to give your details and you can be arrested.
CAN THE POLICE DETAIN ME OR CAN I WALK AWAY? A police officer who has reasonable grounds for suspicion can stop and detain you in order to conduct a search.
There are two ways of failing to pay a fine on a fixed penalty notice: You reject the fixed penalty notice from the start. You will receive a summons to go to court. It is then for the court to enforce the fine and they do have the option of issuing a warrant for your arrest if you fail to respond.
Failure to pay can result in a prosecution. Where appropriate, penalty notices may be issued to children aged 10 or over, as well as to adults. Local authorities are entitled to keep any of the money they get out of fixed penalty notices.
You have 14 calendar days to pay the penalty although certain offences offer a discounted amount if paid within 10 days. Details of discounted amounts are shown on the individual FPN and vary per offence. Some examples of offences where a FPN may be issued include: dropping litter.
An EHO can visit your business at any time and are legally obliged to inspect the premises thoroughly. For this reason, it's illegal for you to refuse or obstruct an EHO from entering your business.
Investigate allegations of foodborne illness (otherwise known as food poisoning) Inspect or audit a food business' food safety practices. Investigate complaints about labelling and product misinformation. Educate and provide businesses with advice on correctly following food safety law and food standards.
An officer might recommend a prosecution which could result in the prohibition of a process and/or use of premises or equipment, fines or event imprisonment. You may also be banned from running a food business in the future.
Food Safety Due Diligence Checklist
- Your use of approved suppliers.
- Details of how your workplace environment is compliant (e.g. being made from the correct materials).
- How you prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen.
- Your HACCP system.
- Your cleaning schedule and personal hygiene procedures.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) state that, typically, high risk businesses will be inspected every 6 months until the risk to public health is reduced. In comparison, this duration of time increases up to every 2 years for lower risk premises.
Due diligence refers to being able to prove that your business has done everything reasonably possible to comply with current legislation and regulations. In other words, it helps to prove that you applied all reasonable precautions to avoid committing an offence.
How Long Does the Certificate Last? In theory, there is no set time that a food hygiene certificate will last for, and the most widely used ones do not expire. However, the industry has generally decided as a convention that food safety certificates of all types should be renewed every three years at a minimum.
The health inspector will meticulously check cooking, holding and storage temperatures of all meat, poultry, seafood and ready made food products to assure they are at safe temperatures. They will also ask to see records to assure you are doing the same.
