{"id":39906,"date":"2019-08-21T11:00:05","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T10:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=39906"},"modified":"2025-03-14T09:07:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T09:07:37","slug":"eho-home-kitchen-inspection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/eho-home-kitchen-inspection\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prepare for an Environmental Health Home Kitchen Inspection"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re running a catering business from home, you are subject to environmental health inspections just like all other food businesses. EHOs can visit your kitchen at any reasonable time to check that you\u2019re complying with food safety law, and can issue notices that legally require you to take action if you\u2019re not.<\/p>\n

So, how prepared are you for their arrival?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve created this guide and a free downloadable checklist to help you determine whether you have a suitable food safety management system in place. It\u2019ll help you to ensure your home-based food business is always putting safety first and ready for an EHO inspection.<\/p>\n

\n

What is an EHO Home Kitchen Inspection?<\/h2>\n

Whether you\u2019re running a takeaway, selling cakes, or selling pre-packaged food from home, environmental health officers (EHOs) need to inspect your home kitchen to determine whether you\u2019re carrying out food operations safely and legally.<\/strong> Food operations include storing, handling, preparing, cooking, selling, and distributing food.<\/p>\n

EHO home kitchen inspections are therefore based on three key areas: how hygienically you handle food, your food safety management procedures, and the physical condition of the premises.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Every business that prepares and distributes food commercially is required to follow food safety law \u2013 from restaurant chains to budding businesses at home. You need to ensure that the food you sell to customers is safe to eat, or you will be held responsible.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"expert<\/div>\n

Need a Course?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Our range of Food Hygiene Training Courses<\/a> aim to provide you with the required knowledge to carry out your work whilst meeting food hygiene requirements. You can also find our Food Allergen Awareness Training<\/a> and Food Labelling Regulations Training<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

How Do I Prepare for an EHO Home Kitchen Inspection?<\/h2>\n

Whether it\u2019s a kitchen inspection for home baking or for the preparation of ready-made meals, EHOs will examine your food preparation activities and your work environment during their visit. They are aiming to identify whether you have all the appropriate procedures and equipment in place to cook and sell food from home safely.<\/p>\n

However, EHOs will also want to see evidence<\/strong> that you follow best practices at all times. How you work on the day of the inspection is not enough to prove how you work every other day. This is why food safety records, such as your HACCP documents, are so important for demonstrating due diligence. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The exact details you require will depend on the type and quantity of food you make. However, they will always check certain key areas of your kitchen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the FSA, during a home kitchen inspection EHOs will assess the following:<\/p>\n

Food Handling Practices<\/h3>\n

This includes how you prepare ready-to-eat and cooked foods, use of colour-coded equipment (like cutting boards), how you heat, cool, and defrost food, allergen awareness and labelling<\/a>, cross-contamination prevention, and how you use probe thermometers.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Personal Hygiene<\/h3>\n

Personal hygiene includes wearing appropriate protective clothing, washing your hands correctly, having appropriate basins for hand washing, and suitable toilets and changing facilities. Your bathroom must not connect directly to your kitchen.<\/p>\n

Food Storage<\/h3>\n

The EHO will check how deliveries are handled, how you store food, use-by and best-before dates, stock rotation, and the condition of your fridges and freezers.<\/p>\n

Food Rooms and Equipment<\/h3>\n

For example, the condition and cleanliness of food and hand contact surfaces and equipment. You also need to demonstrate evidence of cleaning as you go, appropriate use and storage of cleaning chemicals, and safe use of cleaning cloths.<\/p>\n

Pest Control<\/h3>\n

EHOs will look for any evidence of pests in your home. They’ll assess what measures you have in place to prevent pests from entering and accessing food. This also includes how you manage food safety risks posed by any pets you have at home. You must keep them out of the kitchen when preparing food that you’re going to sell.<\/p>\n

Waste and Laundry<\/h3>\n

This includes where you store waste and how you wash laundry. If your washing machine is in the kitchen where you prepare food, you must not run it while doing so.<\/p>\n

Checks and Record Keeping<\/h3>\n

You need to show evidence of food safety checks in your records, such as ensuring the fridge temperature is at 5\u00baC or lower each day. Your records should also show information about how food is supplied to you and how you ensure it\u2019s safe. For example, by checking that the delivery van\u2019s temperature for chilled food is at or around 5\u00baC.<\/p>\n

Other Areas<\/h3>\n

EHOs may also assess other aspects of your home kitchen, such as fire safety and first aid. Make sure you have working smoke detectors, a suitable fire escape route, and well-stocked first aid kits to keep you and anyone who works for you safe.<\/p>\n

\n

Selling food from home comes with risks, so you must ensure you\u2019re following best practices. Otherwise, an environmental health inspector may deem your home kitchen unsafe for commercial use and issue a notice \u2013 or worse. Our checklist will help you to ensure you cover all your bases and protect your customers from harm.<\/p>\n