Food Environmental Health Visit Advise

[phoebe-alice]

I have recently registered as a food business as want to start providing meals and I have my food hygiene environmental health visit tomorrow and have no clue what to expect I have given the kitchen a quick once over and have made sure the thermometers are in the fridge and freezer and the food probe is in the drawer along with tiding up the cupboards a bit. What happens during the visit and what are they looking for? Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Lets hope they don't mind a little bit of mess!

[QualityCare]

Not sure, but have you got everything in the fridge on correct shelves no cooked and raw meat together. Have you got more than 1 chopping board for preparing food.
Good luck.

[phoebe-alice]

Not sure, but have you got everything in the fridge on correct shelves no cooked and raw meat together. Have you got more than 1 chopping board for preparing food.
Good luck.

I haven't a clue about what should be where in the fridge I'm afraid but I do have a chopping board for raw foods and a chopping board for ready to eat foods which are cleaned and sterilised before and after use. But if you have any tips with the fridge that would be great.

[rickysmiths]

Do you have anticeptic wipes to use with the food probe?

Apart from that you sound fine.

They may give you a copy of 'Safer Food better business for Childminders' it is from the Food Standards Agency if not you can tell them you know about it and will order one.

You can get it here, if you order it online it comes in a few days and is free.

http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/...bchildminders/

Good luck!

[rickysmiths]

Fridge:

Working from the bottom to the top:

Raw meat covered at the bottom

Cooked meat higher again covered

fruit and veg

Dairy

[Greengrass74]

I had mine a few weeks ago, she asked me the following

-If I had a food hygiene certificate
-What I use to clean the work surfaces down. (Antibacterial wipes)
-Evidence of recording fridge temp. (I have mine on our daily check list)
-Asked me all about reheating food and if I do it.
-To look at my diary
-Whether I cook meals in advance and if so how are they stored
-How cleaners are stored
-How to store raw and cooked items in the fridge
-How to check dates on food and how often this is done


Also make sure there are no house plants on the window sills. She commented on that it was nice to see no plants in the kitchen when she visited us. Thankfully she was pleased with the kitchen and what I do and we were issued a 5 star rating.

Hope it goes ok

[funemnx]

It seems to be a different experience for everyone - mine wasn't even going to look in the kitchen until I asked her to as I'd just had a new kitchen fitted!

She asked me a lot of questions, working from a form she had to fill in (just common sense really). I already had the Better Food Better Business folder and had filled it in. Apparently you're supposed to fill it in every 3 months but I haven't done mine since

[phoebe-alice]

Thank you for all your replies they were fab, hopefully I can be a little more prepared now. Thanks again!

[primula]

Dave, Can you tell me why you can have houseplants in the kitchen?!! or anybody!?

[Greengrass74]

Dave, Can you tell me why you can have houseplants in the kitchen?!! or anybody!?

I have no idea she just told me it was nice not to see houseplants in the kitchen. We have never had them in the kitchen so I didn't think anything of it.

[sarah707]

Dave, Can you tell me why you can have houseplants in the kitchen?!! or anybody!?

There is a danger of soil contamination. No plants / soil should be in a food preparation area.

The problem is that we no longer have kitchens in the eyes of Environmental Health - instead we are food providers, therefore our kitchens are food preparation areas and soil contamination is a risk... therefore plants should not be there!

Hth

[phoebe-alice]

I had mine a few weeks ago, she asked me the following

-If I had a food hygiene certificate
-What I use to clean the work surfaces down. (Antibacterial wipes)
-Evidence of recording fridge temp. (I have mine on our daily check list)
-Asked me all about reheating food and if I do it.
-To look at my diary
-Whether I cook meals in advance and if so how are they stored
-How cleaners are stored
-How to store raw and cooked items in the fridge
-How to check dates on food and how often this is done


Also make sure there are no house plants on the window sills. She commented on that it was nice to see no plants in the kitchen when she visited us. Thankfully she was pleased with the kitchen and what I do and we were issued a 5 star rating.

Hope it goes ok

My inspection went well and I'm pleased to say I passed! I was just wondering if I could be cheeky and ask if you could show me a copy of your daily check list as at the moment mine is just scribbled on bits of paper and I'd love to have it in a more organised fashion! Thanks and hope you are all having a lovely day.

[Greengrass74]

Excellent

So pleased you passed. I am more than happy to send you a copy, would it be better if Ii emailed it to you as it is a word document, so you can cut and paste any bits you want. If so just PM me your email and I will send

[ruby]

can i be cheeky and ask for a copy to

cathy