A food hygiene inspection can involve a surprising amount of terminology. An Environmental Health Officer or Food Safety Officer may talk about HACCP, critical control points, cross-contamination, due diligence, corrective actions or your food safety management system.
Understanding these terms is important because they are not simply technical jargon. Many describe the systems, practices and standards an officer will consider when assessing whether a food business is operating safely and complying with food hygiene law.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) assesses businesses against three broad areas:
- How hygienically food is handled;
- The physical condition and cleanliness of the premises and facilities; and
- How effectively food safety is managed.
These areas include everything from food preparation, cooking, cooling and storage to cleaning, pest control, staff knowledge and the documentation used to demonstrate that food safety risks are being controlled.
The exact wording used in an inspection report will vary between local authorities and according to the type of food business. However, the following terms are among the most useful for food business operators and their staff to understand.
EHO – Environmental Health Officer
An Environmental Health Officer, commonly abbreviated to EHO, is a professionally qualified officer who may carry out food hygiene inspections and investigate food safety concerns. Depending on the local authority, the person carrying out an inspection may instead be described as a Food Safety Officer or authorised officer.
During an inspection, the officer may examine food preparation and storage, cleanliness, equipment, pest controls, staff practices, training and the systems the business uses to manage food safety. Government guidance states that officers can inspect premises, food, records and procedures and may take food samples and photographs.
FBO – Food Business Operator
The Food Business Operator is the person or organisation responsible for ensuring that food law requirements are met within the food business under their control. In practical terms, the FBO carries ultimate responsibility for ensuring appropriate food safety procedures are established and followed.
FHRS – Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, usually shortened to FHRS, is the system used to communicate the hygiene standards found at food businesses during local-authority inspections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Businesses receive a rating from 0 to 5:
- 5 – Very good
- 4 – Good
- 3 – Generally satisfactory
- 2 – Improvement necessary
- 1 – Major improvement necessary
- 0 – Urgent improvement necessary
The rating reflects standards found at the time of inspection rather than being a general review score from customers.
Hygienic Food Handling
Hygienic food handling is one of the three main areas considered when determining a food hygiene rating. It covers how food is handled throughout the business, including preparation, cooking, reheating, cooling and storage, together with the measures taken to prevent contamination.
For example, an officer may consider whether raw and ready-to-eat foods are adequately separated, whether foods are being cooked safely and whether chilled foods are being stored appropriately.
Structural Compliance
Structural compliance concerns the physical condition of the premises and the facilities available for maintaining food hygiene. It can include the cleanliness, condition and repair of floors, walls, ceilings and equipment, as well as layout, lighting, ventilation, handwashing facilities and measures to prevent pest entry.
It is therefore possible for a business to have good food-handling practices but still lose marks because the physical condition of the premises makes effective hygiene more difficult. Structural compliance is one of the three principal areas considered under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.
Confidence in Management
“Confidence in management” is an important concept in food hygiene inspections. It refers broadly to the inspecting officer's confidence that the business is capable of managing food safety effectively and maintaining satisfactory standards in the future. This is not simply about whether a folder of paperwork exists.
Officers may consider the management's knowledge of food safety, previous compliance history, attitude towards food hygiene, whether appropriate hazards and controls have been identified, whether staff understand the procedures and whether the documented food safety system reflects what actually happens in the business.
Real local-authority inspection disclosures use terminology such as “confidence in management/control procedures” alongside compliance with food hygiene procedures and structural requirements when explaining inspection outcomes.
FSMS – Food Safety Management System
A food safety management system is the collection of procedures and controls a food business uses to identify food safety hazards and ensure those hazards are appropriately controlled. It should reflect what actually happens within the business.
A good FSMS therefore isn't simply paperwork completed for an inspection. It should describe the controls that employees use every day to keep food safe. For many smaller catering businesses, the Food Standards Agency's Safer Food, Better Business system can provide a practical way of establishing documented HACCP-based food safety procedures.
SFBB – Safer Food, Better Business
Safer Food, Better Business, usually abbreviated to SFBB, is a food safety management system developed by the Food Standards Agency for smaller food businesses. It helps businesses establish and document practical food safety procedures based on HACCP principles.
The FSA states that SFBB was developed to help small food businesses comply with requirements for documented HACCP-based procedures. It is one way of doing this rather than a compulsory system that every food business must use. Local authorities frequently refer businesses to SFBB when discussing food safety management and achieving a good food hygiene rating.
HACCP – Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. HACCP is a systematic approach to identifying food safety hazards, deciding how they will be controlled and establishing procedures to make sure those controls continue to work.
The principles include identifying hazards and control measures, determining critical control points, establishing critical limits, monitoring those controls, deciding what corrective action is required if control is lost, verifying the system and maintaining appropriate documentation.
A small café and a large food manufacturer may apply HACCP principles very differently. The complexity of the system should be appropriate to the nature and size of the operation.
Food Safety Hazard
A food safety hazard is something with the potential to make food unsafe. Food businesses will commonly consider three broad categories:
- biological or microbiological hazards, such as harmful bacteria;
- chemical hazards, such as cleaning chemicals or other chemical contamination;
- physical hazards, such as fragments of glass, metal or other foreign material.
Allergens also require specific consideration and control within food businesses. A fundamental part of food safety management is identifying the hazards relevant to a particular operation and deciding how they will be controlled.
CCP – Critical Control Point
CCP stands for Critical Control Point. A Critical Control Point is a stage at which control is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a significant food safety hazard to an acceptable level. The important distinction is that not every food safety control is necessarily a CCP.
Within a HACCP system, businesses identify the stages where loss of control could have a significant effect on food safety and establish appropriate critical limits, monitoring and corrective actions. The FSA's MyHACCP guidance specifically includes determining CCPs as one of the seven HACCP principles.
Critical Limit
A critical limit is the measurable or observable boundary used to determine whether a Critical Control Point is under control. Where a critical limit is exceeded or not achieved, the business must take appropriate action.
Critical limits must have a sound basis. Depending on the process, they may be supported by legislation, recognised industry guidance, scientific evidence or appropriate validation work.
Monitoring
Monitoring means carrying out planned observations or measurements to determine whether a food safety control is operating as intended. Monitoring might involve checking a process, recording a temperature, examining storage conditions or confirming that a particular procedure has been followed.
The appropriate monitoring depends on the hazard and control involved. Records can help demonstrate that monitoring has taken place, but recording a result is not a substitute for actually controlling the hazard.
Corrective Action
Corrective action is the action taken when monitoring shows that a food safety control has failed or a critical limit has not been met. A corrective action should deal with both the immediate food safety problem and, where appropriate, the reason the problem occurred.
For example, simply recording an unacceptable result without doing anything about it would not constitute effective corrective action. Corrective actions form one of the core principles of HACCP.
Validation
Validation means obtaining evidence that a food safety control or HACCP procedure is capable of working effectively. A useful way to think about validation is:
“Will this control actually work?”
For example, if a business establishes a particular process to control a hazard, it needs a sound reason for believing that the process will achieve the required food safety outcome. The FSA describes validation as establishing that the judgements, assumptions and controls within a HACCP system are scientifically sound.
Verification
Verification is different from validation. Verification involves checking that the food safety system continues to operate as intended.
A useful distinction is:
- Validation asks: “Will this system work?”
- Verification asks: “Is this system working?”
Verification can include reviewing records, checking monitoring procedures, examining corrective actions, reviewing cleaning and training records, checking calibration records and considering microbiological results or complaints.
Cross-Contamination
Cross-contamination occurs when harmful microorganisms, allergens or other contaminants are transferred from one food, person, surface, piece of equipment or area to another.
In food hygiene inspections, particular attention may be paid to the separation of raw foods from ready-to-eat foods. Cross-contamination can occur through hands, chopping boards, knives, cloths, containers, equipment, storage practices and food-contact surfaces. Preventing contamination is explicitly part of the hygienic food-handling element considered during food hygiene inspections.
Allergen Cross-Contamination
Allergen cross-contamination occurs when an allergen is unintentionally transferred to another food. This can happen through shared utensils, equipment, hands, storage containers, preparation surfaces or cooking oil.
The Food Standards Agency advises food businesses to control allergen cross-contamination through measures such as cleaning utensils, washing hands between tasks, separating ingredients and prepared foods, using closed and labelled containers and considering shared cooking equipment and oils.
Allergen management is therefore about more than simply knowing which allergens are intentionally included in a recipe.
Cleaning
Cleaning is the physical removal of food debris, grease, dirt and other unwanted material from a surface. Effective cleaning is fundamental to food hygiene, but cleaning and disinfection are not interchangeable terms. A surface can look clean while still carrying microorganisms.
Disinfection
Disinfection is the process of reducing harmful microorganisms to an acceptable level. Cleaning generally needs to take place before effective disinfection because dirt, grease and food residues can interfere with the action of a disinfectant. This distinction explains why inspection reports and food safety guidance may refer specifically to “cleaning and disinfection” rather than using the word cleaning to cover both activities.
Food-Contact Surface
A food-contact surface is any surface that normally comes into contact with food or from which contamination could reasonably be transferred to food. Examples can include chopping boards, preparation tables, knives, utensils, containers, mixers and parts of food-processing equipment. The cleanliness, condition and suitability of food-contact surfaces are important because damaged or poorly maintained equipment can become difficult to clean effectively.
Ready-to-Eat Food
Ready-to-eat food, often shortened to RTE food, is food that is intended to be eaten without a further cooking or processing step that would eliminate or reduce harmful microorganisms to an acceptable level. Because there may be no subsequent kill step, preventing contamination of ready-to-eat food is particularly important. Examples can include cooked meats, sandwiches, salads, desserts and other foods served without further cooking.
Temperature Control
Temperature control means keeping food at temperatures that minimise food safety risks. An inspector may look at how chilled food is stored, how food is cooked, cooled and reheated, how hot food is held and how temperatures are monitored where appropriate. Temperature control forms part of the hygienic food-handling procedures considered during inspection. Official FHRS guidance specifically refers to food handling practices, procedures and temperature control when assessing compliance.
Probe Thermometer
A probe thermometer is an instrument used to measure the internal or surface temperature of food, depending on the type of probe being used. Within a food safety system, thermometers may be used to check cooking, cooling, reheating, chilled storage or other temperature-controlled processes.
Where temperature measurements are relied upon as part of a food safety control, businesses should also consider whether the instrument is suitable, clean and providing reliable measurements. FSA verification guidance includes calibration records for monitoring instruments among the records that may be reviewed.
Use-By Date
A use-by date relates to food safety. Food with a use-by date should not be treated in the same way as food carrying a best-before date. The FSA distinguishes the two clearly: use-by dates concern safety, whereas best-before dates primarily concern quality. This distinction is particularly important when businesses manage stock rotation and dispose of foods that have reached the end of their safe shelf life.
Best-Before Date
A best-before date relates primarily to the quality of food rather than its safety. Food may lose flavour, texture or other quality characteristics after its best-before date without automatically becoming unsafe solely because that date has passed. This is fundamentally different from a use-by date.
FIFO – First In, First Out
FIFO stands for First In, First Out. It is a stock-rotation principle in which older stock is used before newer stock. Good stock rotation can help prevent ingredients being forgotten at the back of storage areas and can reduce waste. However, businesses must still pay attention to actual use-by dates and storage requirements rather than relying solely on the order in which stock arrived.
Traceability
Traceability means being able to identify where food and food ingredients have come from and, where applicable, where they have been supplied. Traceability becomes particularly important if a food safety problem is discovered because affected products may need to be identified, withdrawn or recalled. Supplier information, invoices, batch information and other records can therefore play an important role in demonstrating traceability.
Food Withdrawal
A food withdrawal is action taken to remove an unsafe or non-compliant food from the supply chain before it has reached the final consumer, or where the relevant action concerns the distribution chain. The term is sometimes confused with a food recall.
Food Recall
A food recall involves action concerning food that has reached consumers and needs to be removed because of a safety or compliance problem. Effective traceability makes withdrawals and recalls considerably easier because the business can identify affected products and where they have gone.
Pest Control
Pest control refers to the measures used to prevent, detect and manage pests such as rodents, flies, cockroaches and other insects. Food businesses should not think of pest control simply as calling a contractor after pests have appeared.
Effective pest management also involves prevention: keeping the building in suitable repair, preventing pest entry, maintaining appropriate waste controls, keeping areas clean and identifying signs of pest activity. Structural conditions, cleanliness and pest-proofing can all influence the hygiene standards identified during inspection.
Due Diligence
Due diligence is an important concept in food law and food safety management. In practical terms, it concerns a business being able to demonstrate that reasonable precautions and appropriate care have been taken to avoid committing an offence.
Documentation can therefore be valuable evidence. The FSA notes, for example, that businesses may choose to keep additional records beyond the minimum suggested within SFBB where they consider those records useful as further evidence of due diligence.
Good due diligence is not simply about collecting paperwork after something has gone wrong. It is about establishing sensible controls, following them and retaining appropriate evidence.
Non-Compliance
Non-compliance means that a legal requirement or required standard has not been met. The significance of non-compliance varies considerably. A relatively minor issue is very different from a failure presenting an immediate risk to food safety. Local-authority inspection information can use descriptions such as “major non-compliance” when explaining how inspection scores were determined.
Legal Requirement
Where an inspection report identifies something as a legal requirement, the officer considers action necessary in order for the business to comply with food law. This should be distinguished from recommendations or good-practice advice that may improve standards but are not themselves legal requirements. Businesses should therefore pay close attention to how observations within an inspection report are categorised.
Hygiene Improvement Notice
A Hygiene Improvement Notice is a formal enforcement notice that may be served when an authorised officer considers that a food business is failing to comply with specified hygiene requirements. The notice identifies the problem and requires the business to take measures to achieve compliance. Current FSA practice guidance defines a Hygiene Improvement Notice as a notice served on a Food Business Operator who has failed to comply with the hygiene regulations.
Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice
A Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, or HEPN, is a more serious enforcement measure. It can prohibit the use of a process, treatment, premises or equipment where the appropriate health-risk conditions are met. Government guidance lists Hygiene Improvement Notices and Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notices among the formal actions that may follow serious food safety problems.
What Does an EHO Actually Assess During a Food Hygiene Inspection?
Although individual inspections vary according to the type and risk of the business, it is useful to return to the three areas at the heart of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.
1. How hygienically is food handled? This includes how food is prepared, cooked, reheated, cooled and stored and how the business prevents contamination.
2. What condition is the premises in? The officer considers matters including cleanliness, repair, layout, lighting, ventilation, equipment and other facilities.
3. How well is food safety managed? The officer considers whether appropriate food safety controls have been established, whether they are understood and followed, and whether the business can demonstrate effective management of food safety. This can include HACCP-based procedures or systems such as Safer Food, Better Business where appropriate.
These three areas ultimately feed into the food hygiene rating.
What Happens if Problems Are Found During an Inspection?
Not every problem identified by a Food Safety Officer results in formal enforcement action. Following an inspection, businesses may receive written information identifying improvements that need to be made. Where a low food hygiene rating is awarded, government guidance states that the business will be told what improvements are required and when they should be completed. More serious failures can lead to formal enforcement.
Depending on the circumstances, this can include a Hygiene Improvement Notice or, where the necessary health-risk conditions exist, emergency prohibition action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three main areas of a food hygiene inspection? Under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, the three principal areas are hygienic food handling, the physical condition of the premises and facilities, and food safety management.
What does HACCP mean in food hygiene? HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It is a systematic method for identifying significant food safety hazards, establishing appropriate controls, monitoring those controls and taking corrective action where necessary.
What does SFBB stand for? SFBB stands for Safer Food, Better Business. It is a Food Standards Agency system designed to help smaller food businesses establish documented food safety management procedures based on HACCP principles.
Is Safer Food, Better Business compulsory? No. Food businesses need appropriate food safety management procedures, but SFBB is one way of meeting this requirement for suitable businesses rather than the only permitted system. The FSA explicitly describes SFBB as one example of a HACCP-based system.
What does CCP stand for in food safety? CCP stands for Critical Control Point. It is a point in a food process where control is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a significant food safety hazard to an acceptable level.
What is the difference between validation and verification? Validation establishes whether a food safety control or HACCP system is capable of working effectively. Verification checks whether the implemented system is actually continuing to work as intended.
What is the difference between cleaning and disinfection? Cleaning removes food residues, grease, dirt and other material from a surface. Disinfection reduces microorganisms to an acceptable level. In food preparation environments, effective disinfection normally depends on surfaces first being properly cleaned.
What does confidence in management mean on a food hygiene inspection? Confidence in management is the officer's assessment of the likelihood that satisfactory food hygiene standards will be maintained. It can take account of management's food safety knowledge, the effectiveness of food safety procedures, previous compliance and whether controls are properly implemented.
What does structural compliance mean? Structural compliance concerns the cleanliness, condition, repair, layout and suitability of the premises and facilities. This can include floors, walls, ceilings, equipment, lighting, ventilation and other facilities needed to maintain food hygiene.
What is the difference between a use-by date and a best-before date? A use-by date relates to food safety. A best-before date relates primarily to food quality.
Can an EHO close a food business? Serious food safety conditions can result in enforcement action capable of stopping the use of premises, equipment or processes. A Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice is one of the mechanisms available where the relevant legal health-risk conditions are satisfied.
Understanding the Language Makes Food Safety Easier to Manage
Food hygiene terminology can initially make an inspection report appear more complicated than it really is.
Terms such as HACCP, CCP, FSMS, corrective action, verification and structural compliance all describe different parts of the same underlying objective: identifying food safety risks and demonstrating that they are being effectively controlled.
For most food businesses, achieving good hygiene standards is therefore not about memorising technical terminology. It is about understanding the hazards relevant to the business, putting appropriate controls in place, ensuring staff follow them, maintaining suitable premises and equipment, and being able to demonstrate that the system works.
Understanding the terminology simply makes it easier to understand what an inspecting officer is looking for and what an inspection report is asking the business to improve.
