Food Production Hygiene
What are the regulations?
The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 are supported by
European Regulation 852/2004.
Who is affected?
Anyone who owns, manages or works in a food business, apart from
those working in primary food production such as harvesting,
slaughtering or milking, is affected by these Regulations. They
apply to anything from a hot dog van to a five star restaurant,
from a village hall where food is prepared to a large supermarket,
or to a vending machine.This is true whether you sell publicly or
privately, in a hotel or in a marquee, for profit or for
fundraising. The Regulations do not apply to food cooked at home
for private consumption. Every process which deals with preparing
or selling food can be classed as a food business activity,
including:-
Preparation; Handling; Processing; Packaging;
Manufacturing; Storage; Transportation; Selling; Distribution;
Supplying.
Generally, anyone who handles food, or whose actions could
affect its safety, must follow the Regulations. This includes
people who sell food (whether to retailers or to the public) and
anyone who cleans articles or equipment which come into contact
with food.
What do they cover?
The Regulations apply to all types of food and drink and their
ingredients. But some businesses, generally manufacturers of
products of animal origin such as dairies or wholesale fish
markets, follow their own product specific regulations.
Identifying and controlling food hazards
As the proprietor of a food business, you must:-
- make sure food is supplied or sold in a hygienic way;
- identify food safety hazards;
- know which steps in your activities are critical for food
safety;
- ensure safety controls are in place, maintained and reviewed;
and
- the majority of food businesses will require to have a
documented food safety management system in place. For catering
businesses the 'Safer Food Better Business' pack, published by the
Food Standards Agency, which is available in a number of
languages.
Basic hygiene requirements
The Regulations aim to set out basic hygiene principles and
focus on how to identify and control food safety risks at each
stage of the process of preparing and selling food. Rather than
simply following a list of rules, the Regulations let you assess
the risk to food safety and then apply controls relevant to your
own situation. Not all the requirements for the structure and
equipment of food premises will apply to you. Some are followed by
the words "where appropriate" or "where necessary". For example,
one provision states that, "where appropriate" floors must allow
surface drainage. But where you have a system to ensure water does
not build up, so that there is no risk to food safety, actual floor
drains may not be necessary. So there is no absolute requirement to
have them.
Basic Requirements for food businesses
Food premises should:-
- be clean and maintained in good repair;
- be designed and constructed to permit good hygiene
practices;
- have an adequate supply of potable (drinking) water;
- have suitable controls in place to protect against pests;
- have adequate natural and/or artificial lighting;
- have sufficient natural and/or mechanical ventilation;
- provide clean lavatories which do not lead directly into food
rooms;
- have adequate hand washing facilities; and
- be provided with adequate drainage.
Rooms where food is prepared, treated or processed should
generally have surface finishes which are easy to clean, and where
necessary, disinfect. This would, for instance, apply to wall,
floor and equipment finishes.
The rooms should also have:
- adequate facilities for washing food and equipment; and
- adequate facilities for the storage and removal of food
waste.
Of course, many of the Regulations are basic minimum hygiene
standards which apply to every food business. But how they are
applied still depends on the situation. For example, every food
premises must be kept clean. But how they are cleaned, and how
often, will be different for a manufacturer of ready-to-eat meals
than for a bakery selling bread.
For further information contact Health and Environment on
01653 600666 ext. 249, 254 and 359.