Food hygiene procedures
Improper food storage is one of the most common contributing factors of food poisoning outbreaks, for example leaving food unrefrigerated for prolonged periods of time.
- You must ensure that you have the fridge and freezer capacity needed to keep food cool and safe.
- Domestic fridges are not designed to cope with large amounts of food. Don’t overload your refrigerator or its efficiency will suffer. It is recommended that if large quantities of food are needing to be stored under temperature control, then a separate designated fridge is provided. You must ensure that all high-risk foods can be kept at 8°C or below.
- You should always check food labels for storage instructions and ensure food is not left unrefrigerated for long periods of time.
- Raw meat, poultry, and fish must be kept at the bottom of fridges and freezers in a leak-proof container if possible. This is to prevent any drips contaminating ready-to-eat foods. If you can, use separate fridges for raw meats. Guidance for further understanding cross-contamination risks (Food Standards Agency).
- You must always keep raw and ready-to-eat food separate in storage and preparation.
- You should not clutter the fridge with alcohol and soft drinks. They do not need to be refrigerated. Maximise the available fridge space for perishable items.
- You should always cover food. All food products must be always protected from contamination.
Temperature control
You should have in place suitable temperature-controlled handling and storage equipment with sufficient capacity for maintaining foodstuffs at appropriate temperatures, such as fridges, freezers, and temperature-controlled display cabinets. These should also be designed to allow for temperatures to be monitored and, where necessary, recorded.
High-risk foods which may support the growth of food poisoning bacteria must always be kept below 8°C during cold storage. This is a legal requirement set out under The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 (Schedule 4). It is good practice to operate refrigerators between 1-5°C to allow for any fluctuating temperatures.
High-risk foods should also be cooked to reach a core temperature of 80°C or more for at least six seconds, and if cooled, should be cooled to room temperature within a maximum of 90 minutes to then be refrigerated. If the business is hot holding the food, you must ensure that food is kept at 63°C or above.
Domestic premises are unlikely to have adequate facilities to safely pre-cook and cool food except in very small quantities. Menus should be planned to produce food as close to the time of service as possible.
If you are transporting hot food, you must ensure that it is kept at 63°C or above. If you are transporting cold food, you must ensure that it is kept at 8°C or below. It is recommended that you use an insulated box that can maintain the required temperature.
The use of a digital probe thermometer is recommended to check the temperature of foodstuffs regularly. It is also good practice to keep a record of those temperature checks.
Further guidance is available via request from Ealing Council’s food safety team. Businesses can request our food information sheets which provide guidance on the following topics:
- Pest control
- Allergen information
- Butchers with retail elements
- Cooking, cooling, and reheating high-risk foods
- Doner kebabs
- Egg fried rice
- Eggs in catering
To request these documents, please email: foodsafety@ealing.gov.uk or telephone: 020 8825 6666
Market stalls
If you are selling food or drink from a market stall, you must still comply with food hygiene legislation.
- Vehicles and containers used to transport food must be kept clean and in good repair.
- Food must be wrapped, covered, or placed in sealed washable containers, and kept separate from any other items carried in the vehicle. Ready-to-eat foods must be kept separate from raw foods to prevent cross-contamination.
- There must be an adequate supply of potable water available for hand, equipment, and food washing at the market stall. Hot (or warm) water must be provided continuously. A gas multipoint water heater is recommended. This type of equipment can supply hot water at several different outlets at one time.
- If urns are used to heat water for washing, they should have a thermostat to control the water temperature. This is to prevent scalding accidents.
- Vehicles and trailers should be purpose-built and of an adequate size to allow food to be prepared hygienically.
- In vehicles, the cab should be separated from the food area. Where this is not possible, the cab must be constructed so that it can be kept clean.
- As a minimum one sink is required for food and equipment and a separate sink for hand washing.
- Communal wash facilities are only acceptable for stalls selling low-risk foods.
Allergen information and labelling
You must always consider people with food allergies when preparing and serving food products. If the food contains any of the 14 allergens, the allergen must be stated on the labelling or communicated to the customer. See further information on allergens and food businesses.
Traceability of food
You should ensure that a record (the food items, who/where from) for all your ingredients is kept for traceability purposes. If you are supplying other retailers or caterers with your food, you must keep records of who, when, and what you supplied them. This is in case there is a food alert, and you need to identify where you bought food from, or you need to withdraw the food you sold. See further guidance on food incidents, product withdrawals, and recalls.