registering as food premises

[haribo]

hi , just got a letter from our council saying childminders now have to register as food premises .i have 3 weeks to reply then have an inspection . it says if i only provide water and store packed lunch from home ,and only occasionally help children cut up food i may not have to... now at the moment i only have two two yr olds two days a week and im sure their parents wouldnt mind providing a packed lunch , and i do only offer water to drink . that would be fine and i would just have to send a slip saying i dont need to register. however i start minding a baby one day a week from monday and will be giving her bottles and baby food provided by mum soooo does that change everything and mean i have to register after all ? also i have a downstairs bathroom with loo in just off the kitchen is this acceptable in a food premises ?? any advice would be great thanks xx

[PixiePetal]

Most of us need to register and all councils do it differently

Mine just send out a form and keep it on file, sending me a letter to say I am registered - no inspection.

They just need to see you store food correctly, fridge temps ok, clean surfaces and chopping boards, hand washing etc. Nothing we don't, or should, be doing already.

There is a 'safer food, better business' pack for childminders - from here, we should all get one but you can order it

http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/...esources/sfbb/


hope that helps. For most people it will be a formality, don't worry

[breezy]

In our area you have to register regardless

[Jessicasmummy]

I registered myself with environmental health. It is a good idea to do so even if you dont think you need to at the moment at least it covers you for anytime in the future.
Last week a childminder in my home town came home from the school run to find environmental health were sat outside in the car waiting for her and wanted to inspect there and then, the childminder argued this and said she was too busy, had hungry children to feed etc. they went away and are coming back another time.

[haribo]

thanks for replies .. yes i would prefer to register than ask parents for packed lunches , have just ordered a copy of sfbb .. my fridge is being a bit temperamental may have to order a new one -well its a great excuse even been to shops and bought a snazzy new pinny it looks great hanging on the kitchen door . no prizes for guessing what ill be doing at the weekend

[Pipsqueak]

As already said, each council implements this differently but my inspection was really easy going - didn't even check my (newly) gleaming oven or fridge! lol.

[julie w]

I had to be registered as a food premises and I was panicking at the thought of yet another inspection. I needn't have worried, it was so straightforward. A lady looked in my microwave to make sure it was clean and checked the temperature of my fridge. She asked a few easy questions eg do I use seperate chopping boards for meat and veg, where would I store raw and cooked meat in the fridge. just basic stuff. She asked how I clean my work tops and I said dettox spray and kitchen roll, and that was it. She said if I hadn't have got an answer right she would have just told me how to do whatever it was properly so I knew. It was worth doing and only lasted about 15 mins at the most.

[haribo]

thanks i feel a lot better now -i had visions of someone coming in like kim and aggie and taking swabs off all the surfaces . mentioned it to a parent today and she said well your house is the cleanest ive ever seen so you wont have a problem which was nice of her but stretching the truth a bit

[Ripeberry]

Do they inspect all CMs ? They have me on file but I've never had an inspection or even had a cert. Last letter was back in November saying there was a backlog

[Tatjana]

Mine was way ott I feel, he was checking all my cupboards, drawers, looking down the side of the fridge and washing machine looking for pest evidence. Asking loads of questions where I buy food, how i choose it, bring it home, cook it, wash it, what temps the fridge and freezer should be. Wrongly told me I had to attend a hygiene course, said to wear hairnets, buy a thermometer to check meat was at the righ temp when cooked.....

I felt like asking him to leave at one point.

xx

[Little Bear]

It is not a requirement for Ofsted yet!
I have registered and have been inspected, they were really helpful and gave lots of advice. They are not there to catch you out.