The importance of food hygiene

Posted 2 weeks ago

If your business is responsible for storing, handling and preparing food, then it’s crucial to know everything about the importance of food hygiene. Consuming food from a restaurant, takeaway or cafe with friends or family is a pastime enjoyed by millions of people in the UK. And, with that, customers have a right to expect that any food they purchase and consume is safe and free from any unpleasant contaminants.

So, that’s where the importance of food hygiene is essential. Good food hygiene practices keep customers safe and help businesses like yours to stay compliant. Throughout this guide, we’ll help you get to grips with the following aspects of food hygiene.

Knowing the principles of food safety

In any walk of life, we adhere to a set of principles. Whether that’s at work, in the family home, or even in our favourite hobbies. Well, food safety is no different. There is a core set of fundamentals that are designed to protect consumers. But, most importantly, the process starts with you!

Food businesses have to maintain a healthy supply chain that protects customers. This means having rigorous control over things such as your suppliers, the products you purchase, how you store your food and most importantly, how you prepare it. If you fail to implement a rigid process that prioritises food safety, the consequences can be severe.

So, the specifics you need to know are that there are four main principles of food safety:

Cleaning
Cooking
Chilling
Cross-contamination

Meeting the requirements of these four areas is essential for your business to comply with food safety regulations (which we will look at later in this guide) and to prevent any customers from foodborne illnesses.

Many foods are high-risk items that can become easily infected with harmful bacteria. Without preventive measures, the spread of these viruses is increased.

Discover more details about food safety in our dedicated blog post – What are the four C’s of food hygiene?

Attaining the best hygiene rating for your food business

Any establishment that handles and serves food to the public is subject to a routine inspection. The rating of your food business scores illustrates your commitment to food hygiene to customers. An inspector will visit your premises to carry out a thorough inspection of your food hygiene measures. Your business is scored on the following aspects:

The cleanliness of your food preparation areas.
What measures are in place to combat cross-contamination?
How well HACCP principles are adopted by your business and staff
Is there a documented record of all food safety protocols?
Are your employees trained in the basics of food hygiene?

Inspectors use the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) to award your food business an aggregated score. This is based on how well you can meet the requirements of the FHRS, with 5 being the highest score, and 0 the lowest.

Explore the different ranges of food hygiene ratings in our blog post.

Preparing your food business for inspection

Now you know the importance of attaining a high rating for your business, perhaps you’ll appreciate a few handy tips to help attain that coveted five-star rating. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list of questions to run through ahead of an inspection that covers the basics.

Review all your cleaning and hygiene measures. For example, do you have adequate hand washing facilities, a clean food preparation sink, and an easy-to-clean workspace for all food preparation areas?
Have you checked the ventilation of your kitchen? Is it safe and compliant?
Is your food safety management system completed and recorded accurately?
Check all fridges and freezers are running properly. Are they set at an adequate temperature for chilling food?
By what means do you dispose of any food waste? Is this safe and does it prevent cross-contamination?
Are all staff trained in basic food and personal hygiene measures?
Do you have adequate protective clothing that prevents the spread of bacteria?
Can you demonstrate that food is stored correctly?
Do you have a record of evidence that showcases all your employees are sufficiently trained in food hygiene?

Staying legally compliant with food safety laws

Part of being a responsible food business owner is meeting compliance standards. So, that means knowing the different pieces of legislation inside out! We understand food safety laws are complex, but we’ve simplified things to pick out the main parts that apply to you.

Since the implementation of the Food Safety Act of 1990, legislation around food safety has evolved. Over this period, the responsibilities of business owners have broadened. In recent years, awareness of dietary requirements has increased. This was reflected in the introduction of the Food Information Regulations 2014, which placed greater emphasis on food business owners to label food products with allergen information.

Compliance helps protect customers, enhance your business reputation and increase the rating of your business for food hygiene. Discover more about compliance in our blog post on food hygiene regulations.

Catering for food allergies as a business

As we touched upon in the previous section, food allergy awareness is a crucial part of being a food business owner. Not only does it help meet compliance with newer legislation, but it demonstrates to customers your business is inclusive for all. But, whilst offering gluten-free options is a great way to offer variety and cater to the dietary requirements of some customers, there are many more areas you should consider.

An important aspect of food hygiene is managing allergens effectively during your food preparation stage. Whilst providing allergen information on all your products and menus is a legal requirement, applying this information to products in your kitchen is just as important. It helps employees responsible for preparing and handling food to determine what products they are using and where they should be stored and prepared.

Find out more about allergen-free foods in our blog post.

Learn about the importance of food hygiene with iHasco

As you’ve learned in this guide, food hygiene matters greatly to the success of your business! So, with that in mind, perhaps it’s time to start thinking about brushing up on your food hygiene knowledge with a dedicated training course.

Here at iHasco, our online courses are a solid basis to build your existing food hygiene knowledge. Some of our most popular Food Hygiene courses include:

We also offer a dedicated course on allergy awareness, so you can better understand allergens and food hygiene.

Interested in any of these courses? You can check them out today by claiming a free, no-obligation trial today! Alternatively, you can request a bespoke quote and we’ll be in touch to discuss your training requirements.