Under the sack was… (No, it wasn’t rats.)

EHO Story 📩

Back when I worked in local government, I was sometimes involved in nighttime raids on food businesses, part of a multi-agency team with the police, Border Agency, licensing, and food safety all working together.

I was there to check for serious hygiene risks: pest activity, unsafe practices, cleaning issues. It was always unannounced, and often, intense.

Sometimes staff would run out the kitchen door the moment we walked in.
Other times, people would mysteriously vanish mid-service.

And once: my colleague found someone under a sack.

They were in a store room doing the usual checks. Lifting things, looking for signs of infestation, droppings, poor stock rotation…

And there, hidden beneath one of the sacks, was a person. Lying completely still. Clearly trying not to be found.

We suspected they were working illegally, which would explain the panic. Immigration status is, of course, a matter for the Border Agency. But the moment stuck with me, not because of the person, but because of what it said about the environment inside that business. A workplace run in this way, could also lead to food safety issues.

🧼 Food Safety Tip: Always be inspection ready

✔️ Operate legally: if you’re running a food business, it’s on you to make sure you’re compliant in every area, including staffing, licensing, and food hygiene.

✔️ If your staff are panicking during inspections, that’s a training issue: Everyone on site should understand what an EHO does and how to act when one arrives.

✔️ Store rooms are for stock, not staff: Hiding people is a major red flag, legally, ethically, and operationally.

✔️ Prepare for unannounced inspections: A well-run site should be ready every day, not just inspection day.

The Serious Lesson

When people are hiding under sacks or sprinting out the back door, something’s wrong.

EHOs and enforcement teams are there to protect the public, and help you run a safe, legal, and professional business.

If you’re operating above board, you’ve got nothing to fear.

But the ones who hide (literally or otherwise) are usually the ones who know there’s something to hide.

Ever been part of an inspection that revealed something completely unexpected?