How to get a food hygiene rating score of 5
What all food businesses want to know...
The best way to get a Food Hygiene Rating Score of 5 is to follow the advice on:
- Food Standards Agency - Getting ready to start your food business and
- GOV.UK - starting a food business
In summary you will need to:
- have a food safety management system that your food handlers understand and put into practice.
- The Food Standard Agency produces various Safer food, better business (SFBB) packs that suit different types of business. Pick the pack that is most appropriate to you and any additional supplements required.
- Also make sure that it covers all food processing used by your business like sous vide and vacuum packaging. If there is not information covering these aspects you will need to write your own food safety procedure for those sections
- ensure that one person, preferably a manager in charge of the food business, has Level 3 training or training in using and writing a food safety system.
- ensure that all food handlers are adequately trained
- Qualifications available include Level 2 Food Safety Catering. This qualification should be renewed every three years.
- all staff need to practice good food hygiene
- keep food at the correct temperature to make sure it is safe to eat
- make sure that foods cannot become contaminated by bacteria, chemicals or foreign objects. Properly trained staff will have a good understanding of this.
- make sure all staff have awareness of the legal requirements concerning allergens and labelling
- provided a hand basin with soap and towel in addition to equipment washing facilities. These facilities must work properly, have hot and cold water, hand towels, anti-bacterial soap and be suitably drained
- understand and use two stage cleaning YouTube - Food Standards Agency - Food safety coaching (Part 6): Cleaning effectively
- toilets must not open directly on to food preparation areas, and
- make sure the premises you intend to prepare and sell the food from is clean and constructed so that it can be easily cleaned.
Please note that West Suffolk Council do not recommend training providers. Courses are available online or in person training.