How to prepare for your EHO inspection

Today, I’m going to talk about how to prepare for your EHO inspection so you and your team are confident for when that day comes.

Many businesses (or chefs) spend so much time worrying about their inspection that they end up panicking when the day comes and as a result making mistakes, which can lead to a low food hygiene rating. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are six tips to help you prepare, so that you no longer dread your inspection day. Instead, you can feel confident, prepared and ready for the EHO to turn up at any time.           

1. Make sure you and your team know how to deal with the EHO when they turn up

Brief your team to be calm, welcoming and confident. The officer should not be kept waiting or ignored. Make sure they are greeted politely and with a smile, just like you would with a customer. Once you know they’ve arrived, even if it’s not a great time or a great day (let’s face it, it never is!) just take a deep breath and think “I’ve got this!”.

2. Know who will take the lead during EHO inspection

Imagine how you would feel if you turned up and no one wanted to talk to you. You were kind of left standing there, with everyone ignoring you and no one wanting to take responsibility. This does not give the officer confidence. Don’t wait until the officer turns up to decide who will take the lead. Decide this beforehand, identify a couple of team members who know that if they’re on shift, they are to take the lead. Then run through with them what to expect and how they can prepare.

3. Understand how to earn the officers trust and also what might make them suspicious

Now, the things I’ve already mentioned (i.e. ignoring them and no one taking the lead) definitely won’t earn their trust and will make them suspicious. Just remind team members to continue working as normal. There is no need to grab the broom and start sweeping the floor or throw food that you are in the middle of preparing, into the fridge. Just continue working as normal, be polite and answer honestly any questions that they may ask you. Also, please don’t falsify records. i.e. writing the same temperatures for every single day, is not believable.

4. Know your procedures and records

Be familiar with the procedures and records the EHO will want to see, and where they are located. Please don’t wait until the inspection to figure this out. The officer will want to see your food safety management system (also known as a HACCP system) so make sure you know what this is and where it is stored. The same for your other food safety related records such a temperature records, staff training records and pest control records.

5. Make sure all team members understand the importance of following your food safety procedures

This is where staff training is really important. If your procedures say this is what you do, then the officer will expect to find people doing this in practice. For example; if your procedures say that you check fridge temperatures twice a day then they will expect to see records that reflect this.

6. Be aware of the key things that will cause a low rating and make sure these never happen

The key things include cross-contamination issues, food safety procedures and records unavailable or lacking, really poor standards of cleaning and procedures not being followed.

By following these six steps, you can take immediate action to ensure you’re ready for your food hygiene inspection.