Foods that need to be chilled
should be
kept at 8 deg C (46 Deg F) or below. Foods that are being kept hot
before serving should remain above 63 deg C (145 deg F). The
temperature requirements in Scotland are slightly different to the rest
of the UK. See the section on the Food Safety (Temperature Control)
Regulations for details.
There are certain occasions
when foods can
be kept outside these temperatures for a Limited period for example to
be served or displayed when food needs to be handled during or after
processing and when equipment is being defrosted or temporarily breaks
down.
Check fridges and refrigerated
display
units regularly to ensure they are working correctly and keeping food
at the correct temperature. Ensure that staff report any faults as soon
as possible and take prompt action to correct the problem.
For more information about
temperature
control consult an environmental health officer or see the Food
Standards Agency Leaflet: Food safety regulations.
Personal Hygiene
|
Food can be contaminated very easily when it
is
handled. Therefore it is essential that you and your staff maintain
good standards of personal hygiene at all times to ensure that food
does not get contaminated with harmful germs dirt or ‘foreign
bodies'.
|
You and your staff should wash
and dry your hands regularly when handling food, in particular:
-
Before starting work
-
Before handling
ready-to-eat food
-
After touching raw food,
especially raw meat or poultry
-
After going to the
toilet
-
After a break
Staff working in food areas
should:
-
Wear clean clothes and
an apron or protective garment
-
Not touch their face or
hair
-
Cover cuts or sores with
clean waterproof dressings
-
Wash hands after blowing
their nose
-
Not cough or sneeze over
food
-
Not smoke
-
Not wear jewelery or
false nails, which might fall into food
Training & Supervision
|
By Law, food handlers must receive adequate
supervision, instruction and/or training in food hygiene for the work
they do. The owner of the food business is responsible for ensuring
that this happens. You can seek advice about training from your Local
environmental health officer
|
Staff Illness
|
Staff with symptoms of food poisoning, such
as
diarrhea, vomiting or stomach pains, must not handle food, because they
could easily contaminate it and make others ill. An employee showing
signs of this kind of illness must leave food preparation areas
straight away.
|
Staff should also report any
other type of
illness or skin condition to a manager. If you are not sure whether you
or someone else should be working with food, seek advice from an
environmental health officer or doctor urgently. The booklet Food
handlers: fitness to work, which is available from Food Standards
Agency Publications, gives further information.
To make sure that food is safe
you must
follow good hygiene at every stage of food handling, from receiving
deliveries of ingredients to serving the customer it is especially
important to prevent cross-contamination and keep foods at the right
temperature.
Ingredients
|
Choose reputable food suppliers, so you know
that
you are buying products that have been stored, processed or treated
safely when food is delivered, check that:
|
If you have any concerns about
the safety of the delivery do not accept it.
Storing Food
You must store food correctly
to keep it safe. In particular, make sure you:
-
Observe temperature
control
-
Keep raw food,
especially meat, away from ready-to-eat food, ideally in separate
fridges
-
Store raw meat in
salable containers at the bottom of the fridge, so it can't touch or
drip onto ready-to-eat food
-
Don't overload fridges
because this will hinder the circulation of cool air and might mean the
food is not kept cold enough
-
Store dried foods (such
as grains,
pulses and vegetables) off the floor ideally in salable containers, to
protect them from pests
Foods that you store should be
labeled with
a 'Use by' or 'Best before' date, and details of how they need to be
stored (for example if they need chilling). Stock rotation, which makes
sure that older food is used, first will help you to prevent food going
off and avoid wastage.
Never use food after the 'Use
by' date,
since it might not be safe to eat. Check food with a short shelf Life
every day to make sure it is still within the 'Use by' date. Follow any
storage instructions on the product Label or packaging.
Food Preparation
Food can become contaminated
very easily during preparation.
Food handlers should:
-
Observe good personal
hygiene
-
Use different chopping
boards/work surfaces for raw food and ready-to-eat food
-
Use different equipment
and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat food, wherever possible
-
Clean equipment and
surfaces thoroughly before and after use
-
Avoid unnecessary
handling of food - use clean tongs, plates or trays instead
-
Keep chilled food out of
the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation
-
Use drinking water to
wash and prepare food, or make ice
Remember it is very important
to wash fresh
fruit, vegetables and salad vegetables, such as Lettuce, if they are
being served raw.
Proper cooking kills food
poisoning bacteria such as salmonella, Campylobacter, Ecoli 0157 and
Listeria.
It is important to cook food thoroughly, especially meat. When you cook
poultry minced/chopped meat (for example burgers and sausages) and
rolled joints, you should make sure that the center of the meat reaches
a temperature of at least 70 deg C for two minutes, or an equivalent
time/temperature combination.
You do not need to follow the
minimum
cooking times when you are cooking whole cuts or joints of meat
traditionally served pink or rare at the customer's request such as
beef or Lamb. This also applies to whole cuts or joints of pork. If the
meat is pierced (for example with skewers) or on the bone, you should
follow the minimum cooking times.
When reheating food,
especially meat make sure it is piping hot all the way through and do
not reheat it more than once.
If you use a probe thermometer
to check the
temperature of food, be careful that it does not cause contamination.
Probes should be kept clean and disinfected. Ideally use different
probes for checking the temperature of ready-to-eat foods and foods
being cooked from raw. If this is not possible, clean and disinfect
probes between uses. Ensure that probes are set (calibrated) and
working correctly and that staff know how to use them properly.
Food should be cooled as
quickly as
possible after cooking (unless it is being kept hot until serving). You
can speed up the cooling process by dividing food into smaller amounts
and placing it in shallow dishes. Do not put foods in the fridge when
they are still hot because this could warm up other foods.
Service & Display
The main risks during service
or display of food are:
When you are serving or
displaying foods,
you can keep them out of temperature control for a Limited period on
one occasion only
Hot foods can be kept below 63 deg C (145 deg F) for a maximum of two
hours. Chilled foods can be kept above 8 deg C (46 deg F) for a maximum
of four hours.
You must not exceed these
times. After food
has been out of temperature control for one period it must be either
thrown away or cooled as quickly as possible and then chilled until
final use. It is advisable to keep foods such as cooked meats and dairy
products in refrigerated display units at all times.
The temperature requirements
in Scotland
are slightly different to the rest of the UK. See the section on the
Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations for details.
You can minimise the risk of
cross-contamination by:
Transporting Food
When you are transporting
food, you must prevent it from becoming contaminated. It is especially
important to make sure that:
-
Food is transported in
packaging or containers that
-
Protect it from
contamination
-
Chilled foods are kept
at the right temperature
-
Raw foods and
ready-to-eat foods are kept apart
Vehicles used to transport
food must be
kept clean and in good repair. Where necessary they should be designed
to allow effective disinfections.
When a container or vehicle is
used to
transport different foods, or both food and non-food products at the
same time, the products should be separated to protect against
contamination.
When different products are
transported, in
different loads, in the same container or vehicle, the container should
be cleaned effectively between Loads to avoid contamination.
However big or small your
business is, the
place where you work must be kept clean and be well maintained to help
ensure good hygiene.
Premises should be designed in
a way that
allows you to keep the place clean and work hygienically. It is also
important to keep out pests, such as flies and rats, so make sure that
doors and external windows do this, for example by fitting screens.
You must make sure that your
premises and
all equipment and surfaces that come into contact with food are kept
clean and, where necessary disinfected. Using a cleaning schedule is a
good way to ensure appropriate cleaning.
While you are working, it is a
good idea to
clean as you go, mopping up any spills as they happen and cleaning work
surfaces, equipment and floors frequently so that waste and dirt do not
build up.
Remember to keep cleaning
equipment, such as mops and cloths, clean.
Careful storage of waste is
important to avoid attracting pests, such as flies and rats. You should:
-
Not allow food or other
waste to build up in food areas
-
Keep the storage area
clean
-
Arrange for rubbish to
be removed frequently
Staff Facilities
It is especially important to
make sure that suitable facilities are provided for staff to wash their
hands.
There should be a basin for washing hands in food areas. You will also
need a sink to use for cleaning premises, equipment utensils, etc. If
unwrapped food is handled as part of your business, you must have a
separate sink just for washing food. Washbasins must have hot and cold
running water and you should provide soap and suitable equipment for
drying hands, such as disposable towels or hot-air dryers.
When staff have used the
toilet, they
should not wash their hands in the same basin that is used for washing
hands during food preparation, or in the sinks used for washing food or
for cleaning. Otherwise, they could bring germs into the food area.
Mobile/Temporary Premises
People running mobile or
temporary
premises, such as stalls or burger vans, need to be aware of the same
hygiene issues as other food businesses. Because space is Limited, the
requirements are slightly different. Consult your Local environmental
health officer for information.
You must make sure that:
-
There are adequate
facilities to prepare and serve food safely
-
You can keep food at
safe temperatures and protect it from contamination
-
There is access to
adequate washing facilities
Owners and managers of food
businesses are responsible for ensuring that their businesses comply
with food safety Law.
There are four key Laws that
food businesses in Great Britain must be aware of:
-
Food Safety Act 1990
-
Food Premises
(Registration) Regulations 1991
-
Food Safety (General
Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995
-
Food Safety (Temperature
Control) Regulations 1995
Similar Laws apply in Northern
Ireland.
This page provides information
on the main
areas covered by these Laws. See the Food Standards Agency Leaflet,
Food safety regulations, for more details about the general hygiene and
temperature control regulations.
Some food businesses, mainly
manufacturers,
will need to follow product-specific regulations. For more information,
contact your local environmental health officer, who will be able to
offer advice.
Under the Food Safety Act
1990, you:
-
Must not sell (or keep
for sale) food that is 'unfit' for people to eat
-
Must not cause food to
be dangerous to health
-
Must not sell food that
is not what the customer is entitled to expect in terms of content or
quality
-
Must not describe or
present food in a way that is false or misleading
It is important to be able to
demonstrate
the positive steps taken by your business to ensure good food hygiene.
If you were prosecuted under the Food Safety Act you would need to
convince the court that you had taken all reasonable steps to avoid the
offence you had been accused of (this is called a 'due diligence
defence').
If you are planning to start a
new food
business, you need to register with your local environmental health
department 28 days before opening. If you change the activity at your
food premises, you must tell your local environmental health department
within 28 days of the change.
These Regulations set out the
basic hygiene
requirements that food businesses must follow in relation to staff
premises and food handling.
Under the Regulations, you
must have
effective food safety management measures (or 'controls') in place, to
ensure that food is produced safely and that the health of your
customers is not put at risk
Food safety management is all
about
identifying how and when things could go wrong and introducing checks
to stop that happening. Think about the daily work of your business and
how you follow the principles of good hygiene.
Food safety management
controls do not need
to be complex, particularly if you have a small business, but you must
make sure that they are in place and routinely checked.
These Regulations cover the
following issues:
-
The stages of the food
chain that are subject to temperature control
-
The temperatures at
which certain foods must be kept
-
Which foods are exempt
from specific temperature controls
-
When the temperature
controls allow flexibility
Good temperature control is
fundamental to food safety in many food businesses.
In Scotland the Regulations
apply slightly
differently. A maximum temperature for chilling foods is not specified,
but businesses are still required to chill foods if they need to be
chilled to keep them safe. Maximum times for keeping foods out of
temperature control for service or display are not specified.
And when reheated, foods must reach a minimum temperature of 82 deg C
(180 deg F).
Enforcement
Environmental health officers
will inspect
your premises to make sure you are following food hygiene rules. They
will offer help and advice on food safety and can take action if they
find that your standards of food hygiene are not satisfactory. In
serious cases, action might include closing the premises and/or
prosecution.
The Food Standards Agency
booklet, Food law
inspections and your business, explains the inspection process and your
rights of appeal if you are unhappy with the way the inspection is
carried out.
Environmental Health Officers
You can get contact details
for your local
environmental health department by contacting your local authority (or
district council in Northern Ireland). The Food Standards Agency
website contains a database of environmental health departments in
England, Wales and Scotland.
Disclaimer
The information contained in
this page is
intended as guidance and is not a complete statement of the law,
Individual food Businesses are responsible for checking how the
legislation mentioned applies to them in practice.
