{"id":3509,"date":"2019-02-11T16:20:17","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T16:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=3509"},"modified":"2022-07-19T15:01:53","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T14:01:53","slug":"food-hygiene-tips-for-childminders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/food-hygiene-tips-for-childminders\/","title":{"rendered":"Essential Food Hygiene Tips for Childminders"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Food Standards Agency states that “You must comply with food safety and hygiene regulations if you provide food and drink for children or babies.\u201d <\/em>Children and babies are more susceptible to food poisoning and other food safety risks (such as allergic reactions) than most people, so it\u2019s vital to consider the risks they may face while in your care.<\/p>\n

\"Childminder<\/p>\n

With that in mind, this article covers the fundamental food hygiene practices you should be aware of. More specifically, it refers to the 4Cs of food hygiene: cross-contamination, cleaning, chilling, and cooking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although it depends on what your duties are as a childminder, it\u2019s crucial to be aware of these practices. It enables you to maintain good standards whenever the situation calls for it and protect children\u2019s wellbeing.<\/p>\n

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Food Hygiene Requirements for Childminders<\/h2>\n

When children are in your care, you have a responsibility to look after their health and safety. This includes managing the food risks that they may be exposed to. However, it\u2019s important to realise that food hygiene is about more than just food preparation. Even if you\u2019re not in charge of preparing their meals, simple storage and reheating processes can also put them at risk if you don\u2019t follow safe food hygiene practices.<\/p>\n

The last thing you want as a childminder is to cause harm to those in your care. This could lead to parents losing trust in your abilities and even to legal issues. Childminder businesses<\/a> are registered with their local authority by OFSTED if they provide food for childminded children, meaning that food hygiene law applies and you could be subject to EHO inspections.<\/p>\n

Therefore, you must follow these simple food hygiene practices for childminders, which are easy to remember through the 4Cs: cross-contamination, cleaning, chilling, and cooking:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Cross-Contamination<\/h3>\n

Cross-contamination refers to when bacteria or another contaminant (such as an allergen) gets into food by spreading from other foods, surfaces, hands, or equipment.<\/strong> For example, using a knife to cut raw chicken and then using the same knife to cut tomatoes that you put into a ready-to-eat salad.<\/p>\n

The importance of avoiding cross-contamination<\/a> cannot be understated. It can easily pose significant risks to children\u2019s health if you fail to adopt good practices.<\/p>\n

The most effective ways to prevent cross-contamination include: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Proper handwashing.<\/h4>\n

Hands are the most common vehicles of bacteria, so you must properly wash them before handling food. To do so, you must use warm water and antibacterial soap, wash for more than 10 seconds, and make sure you rub in between fingers, your palms, and back of your hands. You should then dry with a clean, disposable paper towel to prevent your hands from picking up bacteria again.<\/p>\n

\"Washing<\/p>\n

You must wash your hands before handling any food and between handling different types. For example, if you handle raw fish and then need to handle bread. Furthermore, you must wash after any activities that could contaminate your hands, such as using the toilet, blowing your nose, handling bins, etc. The bottom line is, you should be sensible and wash your hands before you do anything with food for the children in your care. This also sets a good example for them if they\u2019re a bit older and are getting involved in food handling activities.<\/p>\n

U<\/strong>sing separate utensils and surfaces.<\/h4>\n

When preparing food, you must not mix utensils and surfaces. For instance, if you use a knife for peanut butter (a potential allergen), you should properly wash that knife first before using it for anything else. Likewise, you need to use different cutting boards for different types of food (e.g. one for meat and one for vegetables).<\/p>\n

Effective cleaning<\/h4>\n

Proper cleaning is one of the most essential steps in preventing cross-contamination. This is why it is one of the 4Cs and we\u2019ll cover it fully in the next section.<\/p>\n

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Cleaning<\/h3>\n

To ensure food is safe for children to eat at all times, you must maintain a high standard of cleaning. This applies to food itself, but also to surfaces, utensils, dishes \u2013 basically anything that food could come into contact with. It\u2019s vital for preventing harmful bacteria from spreading, such as salmonella, campylobacter, and E. coli.<\/p>\n

Cleaning is not only important for preventing pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, however. It\u2019s also necessary to prevent physical, chemical, and allergenic contaminants. These can all cause harm to children if they ingest them.<\/p>\n