4 things EHOs check in a Safer Food Better Business pack

Today, I’m going to share with you 4 things the Environmental Health Officer checks in your Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) pack.

Hey! I’m Chartered Environmental Health Officer Natalie Stanton. And I’m here to help you manage food safety with confidence in your business.

I’ve inspected so many SFBB packs over the years, and to help you, I want to share with you what I would look at. I always used a set format which I’m going to share with you. All EHO’s are going to be checking these things, although not necessarily in the exact same order.

Number 1: Have you completed all of the safe methods that are relevant to your business?

So, I would go through each of the safe methods. These are the methods at the front half of the pack: cross-contamination, cleaning, chilling, cooking and management. I want to see that you filled these in to personalise the pack to your business. Just handing the officer a pack that you printed off but haven’t even filled in is pointless.

I can’t emphasise this enough, it needs to be filled in so it reflects how you will manage food safety in your business.

I totally get that some parts may not apply to your business. That’s fine. Don’t panic. Complete the parts that are relevant.

A tip I often give to food businesses is that if there are any sections or questions that just aren’t relevant, it’s a good idea to put a ‘not applicable’ or ‘n/a’ next to these parts. Or if a whole page isn’t relevant, then pop a ‘n/a’ at the top of the page. This shows that you’ve taken the time to read these bits and then make the determination that they’re not relevant.

Number 2: Are you and your staff (if you have any) implementing the safe methods?

Basically, are you following your procedures? It’s no use if you’ve ticked in the pack that your staff will wash their hands before preparing food and then the officer sees the chef walk in to the kitchen to start their shift and they don’t wash their hands!

Number 3: Have you completed the other parts of the pack?

So, I’ve checked the safe methods, now I’m checking the safe method completion record, the cleaning schedule (now if you’re using another cleaning schedule, you don’t have to complete this one), the suppliers list, staff training record, etc.

Number 4: Are you completing the diary?

The forth and final thing I will check is, are you completing the diary? This is located in the second half of the pack. This should be up to date and completed accurately. For example, if you’re only half way through the day, the closing checks for that day shouldn’t be completed yet, otherwise, that signals that you’re not completing the checks correctly.

And there you have it. The 4 things that an EHO will check in your SFBB pack.