SPRING 2023 FOOD HYGIENE & WASTE RATINGS WINNER Follow these top tips to keep your food hygiene score high In the current economic climate with increased energy and food costs many food businesses are having to reduce their opening times, lay off staff, or change menus to survive. Sadly, some smaller operations are finding the challenges impossible to meet and are closing their doors altogether. Amid all this, another noticeable trend has been a drop in Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) levels so here are a few things food officers come across regularly that stop businesses from getting a good FHRS score: Not having an up-to-date food safety management system (including records monitoring) will immediately drop your FHRS score to L2. Paperwork These are usually the first thing officers check. Make sure they can be accessed, are only used for hand washing, and that soap and towels are available. Wash-hand basins There really is no reasonable excuse for dirty premises. Keep on top of your cleaning regime, including fridges, ice machines, behind equipment, extraction systems, etc This should meet BS-EN1276 or EN 14476 standards, and you should follow the contacttime instructions Sanitiser Change these regularly, or use paper towels. Time and again, sampling shows that these items have high bacterial loads, increasing the risk of food poisoning Reusable cloths and sponges Get rid of it old equipment, for example. Make sure your premises are free of these Have one, and Allergen risk take the free course assessment Ensure they know, and follow, your food safety management system Pests 0 1 Cleaning Clutter Staff training 3 If you are not happy with your FHRS score, you can appeal against it within 21 days. You can also apply for a re-rating, although many local authorities will charge for this, so it pays to keep your premises and paperwork in good order. 2 Credit:Helen Cameron, Environmental Health practitioner Image: Shutterstock / Gary L Hider Shutterstock / nito And remember, it is an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 to display an incorrect FHRS sticker after the time for an appeal has elapsed. This includes on leaflets and on websites. 4 5 Take action on waste Climate action organisation WRAP estimates that UK households and businesses waste around 9.5 million tonnes of food each year. Of this, it says 6.5 million tonnes could have been used to make more than 15 billion meals enough to feed the UK population three meals a day for 11 weeks. A lot of food waste ends up in landfill, creating methane gas, which is a major contributor to climate change. On the plus side, 700,000 tonnes of food is currently redistributed. Examples of good practice include recycling waste oil into fuel, reduced prices on unsold retail stock, reducing portion sizes, and distributing leftover food to the homeless. The governments food strategy, published in June 2022, commits to the UN sustainable development goal of halving food waste by 2030. So here are a few things your food business could do to reduce wastage and save costs: n Have a food-waste policy and train staff in waste-reduction practices. n Think about demand in your business. Does your menu allow you to cook to order? Batch cooking saves time, but can waste money and food. n Give customers more choice about what is on their plate sell chips or salads as side dishes, for example. n Only buy ingredients you will use; think twice about bulk deals. n Store food correctly: maintain fridges/freezers at the right temperature, and keep food areas clean and tidy to reduce the risk of spoilage. n Practise good stock rotation. n Freeze food that is close to its useby date; label it with the date of n n n n freezing and limit it to three days shelf life after defrosting. Cook and cool food to the correct core temperatures. Label food correctly. Best practice is not to transfer foods from the original packaging but if you do use containers, clearly label them with product, allergens, and expiry date coding. Use up leftovers for example, for stocks, soups and croutons. Compost food waste (except meat, fish and dairy). Anonymous Hotline For further information, please contact your local Trading Standards Service For up-to-date news stories and information, follow us on 0300 303 2636 Is your sector being undermined by unscrupulous traders operating outside the law? Report them via Trading Standards Anonymous Hotline or online and help level the playing field for honest businesses. Incomplete, probably FHRS L1 or L2. Soap, towel, hand washing only. Under/behind equipment, switches, handles, ice machines. Complies with BS-EN 1276. Bacterial haven. Change often, or use paper towels Remove to ensure good cleaning practices. Ensure adequate proofing; make regular checks. Up-to-date matrix. New supplier = must review. Why not take the free course? Trained to understand and follow systems in place.