What Happens During an EHO Inspection?
An Environmental Health Officer (EHO) can visit your food business at any time — usually without advance notice. They have the legal right to enter your premises, inspect your facilities, examine your records, and take samples. Their goal is to protect public health by ensuring food businesses comply with food safety law.
During an inspection, the EHO will assess three areas:
- Food hygiene and safety — how you handle, prepare, cook, and store food
- Structure and cleanliness — the condition of your premises and equipment
- Confidence in management — your documented food safety systems and processes
Each area is rated, and the combined result determines your Food Hygiene Rating — from 0 (urgent improvement necessary) to 5 (very good).
Before the EHO Arrives: Your Checklist
Use this checklist to prepare your kitchen before an EHO visit. Review it weekly so you are always inspection-ready.
Documentation
- ☐ HACCP plan — Up to date, specific to your business, and signed by the food safety manager
- ☐ Hazard analysis — Covers all menu items and processes, with identified CCPs
- ☐ Temperature records — Fridges, freezers, cooking temps, and hot holding checks — all logged with dates, times, and initials
- ☐ Cleaning schedule — Covers all areas and equipment, signed off daily by responsible staff
- ☐ Pest control contract — Current contract with a pest control company, with recent visit reports
- ☐ Staff training records — Food hygiene certificates for all food handlers (Level 2 minimum)
- ☐ Supplier records — Approved supplier list with delivery temperature checks
- ☐ Allergen information — Allergen matrix for all menu items, accessible to staff and customers
- ☐ Corrective action log — Records of when things went wrong and what you did about it
Kitchen and Equipment
- ☐ Probe thermometer — Available, clean, and recently calibrated (check calibration weekly)
- ☐ Fridge temperatures — All fridges consistently below 5°C
- ☐ Freezer temperatures — All freezers at -18°C or below
- ☐ Hot holding equipment — Bain-marie or hot cupboard holding food above 63°C
- ☐ Cooking equipment — Ovens, grills, fryers — clean and functioning correctly
- ☐ Chopping boards — Colour-coded (red = raw meat, green = salad, blue = raw fish, yellow = cooked meat), in good condition with no deep cuts
- ☐ Knives and utensils — Clean, stored properly, not damaged
- ☐ Dishwasher — Working correctly, dispensing correct chemicals, reaching sanitising temperature (82°C for final rinse)
- ☐ Handwash basin — Dedicated, with hot and cold running water, soap, sanitiser, and paper towels. Not used for food preparation or dishwashing.
- ☐ Waste bins — Lidded, not overflowing, emptied regularly
Premises and Structure
- ☐ Floors — Clean, in good repair, no cracks or standing water
- ☐ Walls — Clean, smooth, washable surface. No peeling paint or mould
- ☐ Ceilings — Clean, no condensation, no flaking plaster, no cobwebs
- ☐ Lighting — Adequate for all work areas. Bulbs covered or shatterproof in food prep areas
- ☐ Ventilation — Extractor hoods clean, filters not clogged with grease
- ☐ Windows and doors — Screens fitted where needed to prevent pest entry
- ☐ Storage areas — Food stored off the floor (minimum 15cm), organised with raw food below ready-to-eat food
- ☐ Staff facilities — Separate changing area, toilets not opening directly into food prep areas
Food Handling Practices
- ☐ Handwashing — Staff wash hands correctly (20 seconds, warm water, soap) at appropriate times
- ☐ Cross-contamination controls — Raw and cooked food kept separate in storage, prep, and cooking
- ☐ Date labelling — All opened or prepared food is labelled with date and use-by information
- ☐ FIFO (First In, First Out) — Older stock used before newer stock
- ☐ Defrosting — Done in the fridge or microwave, not on the counter at room temperature
- ☐ Cooling — Hot food cooled to below 8°C within 90 minutes (blast chiller preferred)
- ☐ Reheating — Food reheated to 75°C core, only reheated once
- ☐ Personal hygiene — Clean uniforms, hair tied back, no jewellery in food prep areas, cuts covered with blue plasters
What Happens After the Inspection?
After the inspection, you will receive:
- Your food hygiene rating (0-5), published on the FHRS website within a few weeks
- A written report detailing what was found, with any required improvements
- Timescales for improvement — If issues were found, you will have a deadline to address them
If you disagree with your rating, you can appeal within 21 days. If you have made improvements, you can request a re-visit to get a new rating.
Common Reasons Businesses Fail Inspections
- No documented HACCP plan or food safety management system
- Missing or inconsistent temperature records
- Poor handwashing practices or no dedicated handwash basin
- Signs of pest activity with no pest control contract
- Dirty or damaged equipment and premises
- No evidence of staff food hygiene training
- Cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food
How SmartHaccp Keeps You Inspection-Ready
SmartHaccp digitises your entire food safety management system. Temperature logs, cleaning records, HACCP plans, allergen matrices, and staff training records — all in one platform with real-time alerts and one-click compliance reports. When an EHO walks in, you generate a full PDF report showing your compliance history in seconds.
Start your free 14-day trial and never worry about an unexpected EHO visit again.