What an EHO Looks for in Your Food Safety Records on Inspection Day

An inspection is usually unannounced, and your records are how you prove what happens when the officer is not there. Here is what they look at and what to have ready.

Most food hygiene inspections happen without warning. Council officers can enter and inspect your premises at any reasonable time, and they usually turn up without an appointment. So the question is not whether your records look good on the day. It is whether they already show a business that runs safely every day.

This guide covers what the officer looks at, how your records feed into your rating, and a checklist of what to have ready.

How your food hygiene rating is worked out

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, food businesses that serve the public get a rating from 0 to 5 under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. According to the Food Standards Agency's guidance for businesses, the officer checks three elements:

1. How hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, reheated, cooled and stored.
2. The physical condition of the business – cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and facilities.
3. How you manage food safety – the processes, training and systems you have to make sure good hygiene is kept up.

The guidance is clear that to get the top rating, you must do well in all three elements. A spotless kitchen will not make up for missing records. The third element is also where the officer judges how confident they are that your standards will hold up after they leave. Records are the main way you give them that confidence.

Why records matter so much

The law requires food businesses to have food safety procedures based on HACCP principles, and to keep documents and records that suit the size and nature of the business. The same law says you must give the authorities evidence that your procedures work when they ask for it.

In plain terms: an officer sees your kitchen for an hour or two. Your records show them the other weeks of the year. If the fridge is at the right temperature today but the log has gaps every weekend, they will notice.

What the officer will ask to see

1. Your food safety management system

This is the written description of how you keep food safe. For most small caterers in England and Wales it is the Food Standards Agency's Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) pack. In Northern Ireland it is usually Safe Catering, and in Scotland CookSafe. The officer wants to see that it has been completed for your actual menu and kitchen, not left blank on a shelf. If you have changed your menu, equipment or suppliers, the pack should reflect that.

2. Daily records

The SFBB pack says the diary should be filled in every day, with opening and closing checks ticked and signed, and anything that went wrong written down. Many businesses also keep separate logs for:

• Fridge and freezer temperatures – see our fridge and freezer temperature log.
• Cooking, reheating and hot holding temperatures – see the cooking and hot holding log.
• Opening and closing checks – see the opening and closing checks template.

Officers look for patterns. Identical handwriting and identical readings for a whole week suggest the log was filled in from memory. Real records have small variations and the odd problem with a note of what you did.

3. Supplier and delivery records

You must keep records of all the suppliers that provide you with food or ingredients, kept up to date and available for inspection. Keeping invoices usually covers this. Many kitchens also log delivery checks, such as chilled and frozen temperatures on arrival. Our goods-in delivery checks template shows a simple format.

4. Allergen information

You must be able to tell customers if any of the 14 named allergens are in the food you serve, and staff must be trained on allergens. An officer may pick a dish and ask what is in it. An up-to-date allergen matrix that matches your current menu and suppliers answers that question in seconds.

5. Cleaning, pest control and maintenance

A cleaning schedule shows what gets cleaned, how often and by whom. Keep pest control visit reports and any repair or maintenance records too. These support the physical condition element as well as the management one.

6. Training records

Officers look at training as part of how you manage food safety. Keep a simple record of who has been trained on what and when, including new starters.

7. What you did when things went wrong

This is the record most businesses forget. A fridge reading of 9°C is not a failure if the log shows you spotted it, moved the food and called an engineer. A log where every entry is perfect can look less believable than one that shows problems being dealt with.

Inspection day checklist

• Completed SFBB (or equivalent) pack, matching your current menu and equipment.
• Diary or daily logs, filled in and signed for every day you have traded since the last visit.
• Fridge, freezer, cooking and hot holding temperature records.
• Supplier list and recent invoices or delivery records.
• Allergen information for every dish currently on the menu.
• Cleaning schedule with sign-offs.
• Pest control reports and maintenance records.
• Staff training records, including new starters.
• Notes of problems and what you did about them.
• A probe thermometer that works, and a record that it has been checked.

On the day

• Be there, or make sure someone who knows the systems is. The officer will want to talk to the person in charge.
• Have records in one place. Hunting through drawers does not help confidence.
• Answer honestly. If a record is missing, say so and explain what you are doing to fix it.
• Take notes on anything the officer suggests. You will get your rating and the reasons in writing, either on the day or within 14 days.

If you are not happy with the result, there is a process to appeal, reply or ask for a re-rating visit. Our guide to why food businesses get a low hygiene rating explains each option.

Keeping records ready without the scramble

The SFBB pack allows records to be kept electronically or as printed copies. LogBooks Hub is one way to do it digitally. Staff complete checks on a phone or tablet through the iOS and Android apps or any web browser. Each entry is timestamped with the name of the person who did it, and you can attach photo evidence. Reminders prompt the team when a check is due. When the officer arrives, you can export a one-click audit pack PDF for any date range instead of gathering paper. There are 90+ logbook types, and pricing starts from £30/month.

Whatever system you use, the test is the same. Could you hand an officer a complete, honest record of the last few months within five minutes? If not, start with the checklist above.