Improve your food hygiene rating with documented procedures

1. Purpose

To ensure all food prepared, stored and served on the premises is handled safely, and that the business can evidence a documented food safety management system.

2. Scope

All kitchen and front-of-house staff who handle open food, packaging or food-contact surfaces.

3. Roles & responsibilities

• • Owner / Manager — owns this procedure, trains staff and signs off records
• • Kitchen supervisor — checks temperatures and completes daily records
• • All food handlers — follow the steps below on every shift

4. UK regulatory context

Food Safety Act 1990, Regulation (EC) 852/2004 as retained in UK law, Food Information Regulations 2014 (allergens), and your local authority food hygiene rating scheme.

5. Procedure

1. 1.Legal requirementBefore starting work, wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, dry with a single-use towel, and change into clean uniform. Report any sickness, diarrhoea or infected skin lesion to the manager and do not handle open food for 48 hours after symptoms stop.
2. 2.Legal requirementCheck and record fridge temperatures (0–5°C) and freezer temperatures (-18°C or below) at the start and end of each day in the temperature log.
3. 3.Legal requirementKeep raw and ready-to-eat foods separated at all times: separate chopping boards, separate storage shelves (raw below ready-to-eat), and separate cleaning cloths.
4. 4.Legal requirementCook food until the centre reaches at least 75°C, verified with a clean probe thermometer, and record the reading for each batch of high-risk food.
5. 5.Legal requirementHold hot food above 63°C and cool cooked food intended for chilling to below 8°C within 90 minutes, then refrigerate.
6. 6.Legal requirementLabel all prepared food with the date it was made and a use-by date. Discard anything past its use-by date.
7. 7.Legal requirementKeep the allergen matrix for every dish up to date and available to any member of staff taking an order. Never guess an answer to an allergen question — check the matrix.
8. 8.Recommended practiceSanitise food-contact surfaces and equipment between tasks using a sanitiser that meets BS EN 1276, following the contact time on the label.
9. 9.Recommended practiceRecord deliveries: supplier, time, temperature of chilled/frozen items, and reject anything outside safe temperature or with damaged packaging.
10. 10.Periodic reviewReview this procedure, the temperature logs and staff training records every 12 months, or sooner if the menu, equipment or premises change.

6. Quality checklist

• Fridge and freezer temperatures recorded today
• Raw and ready-to-eat foods stored and prepared separately
• Core cooking temperatures probed and recorded for high-risk items
• All prepared food labelled with use-by dates
• Allergen matrix current and accessible to all staff

7. Exception handling

• • Fridge or freezer out of range: move stock to a working unit, record the incident, assess whether affected food is safe, and discard anything that has been above 8°C for more than 4 hours.
• • Suspected food poisoning complaint: record the customer's details and what they ate, retain any returned food, and notify the manager the same day. Contact your local authority if more than one complaint relates to the same dish.
• • Staff member reports vomiting or diarrhoea: exclude from food handling immediately and for 48 hours after symptoms stop.
• • Power failure: keep doors closed, record the start time, and apply the temperature rules above once power returns.

8. Sign-off

Completed by: _______________________ Date: _______________