Guide · EHO inspections
The EHO inspection: what they check, and the checklist to be ready
Environmental Health Officers usually arrive unannounced — which is fine, because ready-any-day is the whole point. Here's how the visit is scored, the allergen questions that catch people out, and a paperwork–premises–people checklist you can run this week.
How the visit is scored
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the inspection feeds your Food Hygiene Rating (0–5, the sticker in the window); Scotland runs a Pass / Improvement Required scheme. The officer assesses three areas:
- Food handling — cooking, cooling, reheating, cross-contamination control, personal hygiene.
- Premises — cleanliness, condition, layout, pest control, handwashing facilities.
- Confidence in management — your paperwork: safety procedures, records, training, and allergen documentation.
The ratings trap most small businesses miss: your weakest area caps the rating. A spotless kitchen with no records isn't a 5 — "confidence in management" is where prepared paperwork quietly wins or loses the sticker on the door.
The allergen questions that catch people out
- "What's in this?" — asked directly to whoever is serving. The right answer is checking the allergen matrix, not reciting from memory. "I'll check" is a pass; "it should be fine" is how ratings die.
- "Show me your allergen information." — it should be written, dated, and match the current menu, specials included. A matrix from before your last recipe change is worse than none: it's confidently wrong.
- "How do you stop cross-contamination?" — shared fryers, flour dust, slicers; where you genuinely can't eliminate a risk, it should show as may-contain on the matrix, not live in someone's head.
- "Is this labelled?" — anything packed before the customer orders needs a Natasha's Law PPDS label with full ingredients and allergens emphasised.
- "Who's been trained?" — a dated record that each staff member was briefed. Our allergen training guide includes a 15-minute briefing that produces exactly this.
The ready-any-day checklist
Paperwork (confidence in management):
- Food business registration confirmed with your council (required at least 28 days before trading — see the home food business rules if that's you).
- Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) pack — or equivalent — present, personalised, and the diary actually filled in.
- Allergen matrix printed, dated, and matching today's menu. Re-print after every recipe or supplier change.
- Staff training record with names, dates, signatures.
- Fridge/freezer temperature checks logged; cleaning schedule visible; supplier list/invoices findable.
Premises:
- Handwash basin: hot water, soap, drying — stocked and unobstructed (a blocked basin is an instant black mark).
- Fridges at 5°C or below, freezers −18°C; probe thermometer working and sanitised.
- Separate (or properly cleaned-between) boards and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat.
- Surfaces intact and cleanable — no cracked chopping boards, peeling paint, or bare wood.
- No pest evidence: check corners, under units, delivery boxes; bins lidded, waste contracts in place.
People:
- Everyone can find and read the allergen matrix, and knows the allergy-declaration process (customer declares → kitchen told → matrix checked → confirmed back).
- Everyone knows the basics they'll be asked: handwashing moments, sickness reporting (48-hour rule after sickness/diarrhoea), date labelling.
- Print the free food safety posters and 14-allergens poster for the wall — visible prompts also read as management confidence.
On the day, and afterwards
Walk with the officer, answer honestly, and fix anything fixable while they're there — attitude is genuinely part of "confidence in management". Before they leave, ask the golden question: "What would it take to get 5?" — you'll get a specific list. If the rating disappoints: fix the report's items, then request a re-visit for a fresh rating; you can also appeal or publish a right-to-reply. Ratings aren't tattoos.