Essential Blogs

Premises exempt from the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is led by the government in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It’s there to make sure that cafes, food stalls, takeaways, restaurants, and so on, are preparing food in sanitary, and safe conditions – thus protecting the public and their business. There are a handful

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What does EHO stand for in food hygiene?

EHO stands for Environmental Health Officer. If your business prepares, serves, or supplies food, you have to register it using either the food business registration service on GOV.UK or via your local authority website. Once your business is registered, and up and running an EHO from your local authority will arrange

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What does due diligence mean in food safety?

All food businesses in the UK must follow the food hygiene practices and systems put in place by food safety regulations – for a number of reasons. It’s essential for making sure the food you provide is safe for consumption. In order to prove that you are meeting regulations it’s

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What are the three food hygiene ratings for Scotland?

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is led by the government in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland – which I recently wrote about here. However, in Scotland, they do things differently – their rating system is known as the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS). All food businesses in Scotland, including cafes,

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What food causes Scombrotoxic Food Poisoning & how to avoid it

Scombrotoxic food poisoning – also known as Scrombroid food poisoning is a type of foodborne allergy caused by consuming specific fish species (Scombridae) that has begun to spoil. Tuna, mackerel, sardine, and anchovy are some of the types of fish that are commonly associated with this particular food poisoning. You

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What do food hygiene ratings really mean?

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is led by the government in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is put in place to make sure that cafes, food stalls, takeaways, restaurants, and more are preparing food in sanitary, and safe conditions – thus protecting the public. Food Hygiene Ratings are scored

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How to get a food hygiene rating at home

Thousands of people in the UK have recently started their own food business at home – cooking up a storm in their kitchen. Perhaps you are one of those people or are currently thinking of starting your own business. There’s usually a plethora of questions that spring to mind when

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How long do eggs last after the best-before date?

There are certain foods out there that you have to be careful with when it comes to consumption. You need to store them properly, at the correct temperatures, and keep a close eye on the best-before date – and that’s before even preparing or cooking them. One of those foods

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How to safely prepare a Christmas turkey

It’s Christmas – a time to be merry, joyful, and slightly gluttonous! Turkey is likely to be the main meat on your festive menu and the last thing you want to do is mess it up. Imagine all your family gathering around the Christmas table only to find the bird

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How long does chocolate last after the best before date?

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – everywhere you go. It really is the most wonderful time of year – there’s snow outside, the decorations are up, and most people are filled with Christmas cheer. There is nothing better than spoiling your family at Christmas time and one

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How do I appeal a food hygiene rating?

In our last post, we discussed how to achieve a 5-star food hygiene rating – giving simple tips and advice to follow. Today, we explain how to appeal a food hygiene rating that you might find unfair or unjust. If you have been in the business for a while the

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Tips to achieve a 5-star food hygiene rating

Whether you are new to the food industry, preparing for your first food hygiene inspection, or trying to boost a past food hygiene rating – it shows how serious you are about your business and the service you provide. Here are some tips on how to achieve a 5-star food

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Food Allergen symptoms: How soon do they appear after eating?

In the UK, around two million people suffer from various food allergies and intolerances – these are only the diagnosed cases, so the actual figure is predicted to be much higher. Most food allergen sufferers know the signs, symptoms, and how soon after eating they appear, but do you? Usually, food allergy

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How to get a food hygiene certificate

If you run or work in the food business, whether it be catering, hospitality, manufacturing, or retail, you need to ensure that you and your staff are trained to an appropriate level in food hygiene. Although food hygiene training is expected – it is not a legal requirement to have

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