Unlocking a 5-Star Hygiene Rating: Essential Insights from an Environmental Health Officer for Your Restaurant

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[en-GB] Unlocking a 5-Star Hygiene Rating: Essential Insights from an Environmental Health Officer for Your Restaurant

Learn how to achieve a 5-star hygiene rating for your food business with expert tips from Environmental Health Specialist Fiona West. Discover key inspection areas, effective cleaning practices, and compliance measures to ensure safety and build customer trust.

OG Description	P&G Pro recently spoke to Fiona West, the Environmental Health Specialist at NCASS, who shared her insights to ensure your restaurant achieves that 5-star hygiene rating.

OG Title Unlocking a 5-Star Hygiene Rating: Essential Insights from an Environmental Health Officer for Your Restaurant

Achieving a top hygiene rating is crucial for any food business, ensuring customer safety and legal compliance, while also building customer trust with many restaurants displaying their high hygiene ratings in their windows.
 
When an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) inspects your food premises, they are meticulously checking several key areas regarding cleanliness, maintenance, and your cleaning practices. Understanding their focus areas can help you prepare and secure that coveted 5-star rating. P&G PRO recently spoke to Fiona West, the Environmental Health Specialist at NCASS, who shared her invaluable insights and tips to ensure your restaurant achieves that 5-star hygiene rating, and keeps it.

Achieving a top hygiene rating is crucial for any food business,

Achieve a 5-Star Hygiene Rating for your Restaurant

full bleed

Fiona West - NCASS

Fiona joined NCASS after 17 years working in Local Authority Environmental Health Services, specialising in food safety, health & safety enforcement. 
 
Short on time? Refer to our quick-fire tips below and come back to read the rest once the kitchen calms down.
 
- __Master the Essentials__ - Clean food preparation areas and equipment, pest control, waste management and adequate lighting are non-negotiables that need to be in place.
- __Water Supply__ - Ensure there is access to appropriate water and washing facilities, including a constant, readily available supply of hot and cold portable running water; and designated separate sinks for cleaning equipment, washing food and hand washing. 
- __Master the "Two-Stage" Clean__ - Ensure you use a detergent to remove dirt and grime, before re-applying the sanitiser/detergent and leaving it for the correct contact time.
- __Understand the Contact Time__ - Contact time is a crucial element of correct cleaning, and it’s important you know the correct duration the chemical needs to be on the surface to 

## Essentials of Cleanliness and Maintenance

- __Food Preparation Areas and Equipment__: Are they consistently clean and in good working order?
- __Pest Control__: Is the business adequately pest-proofed, and is pest activity regularly checked?
- __Waste Management__: All waste, including used cooking oil, must be stored in suitable, clean, lidded bins and collected by a licensed contractor.
- __Lighting__: Adequate lighting must be in place to ensure both effective cleaning and thorough pest control checks.

## Water, Washing, and Sinks

Access to appropriate water and washing facilities is non-negotiable for food safety.

-	__Water Supply__: There must be a constant, readily available supply of hot and cold potable running water for cleaning and food preparation.
-	__Sinks__: Is there an adequate number of designated sinks for cleaning equipment, washing food, and hand washing?

Fiona joined NCASS after 17 years working in Local Authority Environmental Health Services

### Hand Washing Basins: 
Basins must be clean, equipped with running hot and cold water, soap, and hygienic hand drying facilities, and they must be used only for hand washing. Effective Cleaning and Disinfection Practices
 
Cleaning removes dirt, grease, and food particles, while disinfection reduces microbial contamination to a safe level. A robust system combining both is essential. The EHO will check your knowledge and application of cleaning chemicals and procedures.
 
### Cleaning Chemicals:
- __Detergents__ remove visible soiling like dirt, grease, and some allergen residues.
- __Disinfectants__ reduce bacteria and viruses. A disinfectant spray must comply with the BS EN1276 or 13697 standard if you handle both raw and ready-to-eat foods.
- __Sanitisers__ are a combination of detergent and disinfectant, cleaning and disinfecting simultaneously. They must also meet BS EN 1276 or 13697 standards. __Always check the label for confirmation.__

### The Two-Stage Cleaning Process: 
This is required for food contact surfaces and equipment (e.g., chopping boards, knives).

- __Step 1 (Cleaning)__: Use hot water and a detergent or sanitiser spray to physically remove food debris and grease.
- __Step 2 (Disinfection)__: Apply a disinfectant or reapply the sanitiser spray for the required contact time to reduce microbial contamination.

-	__Understanding Contact Time__: The EHO may ask you to explain the correct contact time—the duration the chemical needs to be on the surface to work effectively—as specified by the manufacturer.

### Reading the product label: 
In the UK/EU, disinfectants often list specific BS EN numbers (British Standard European Norms), which define the efficacy against certain microorganisms.

- __Look for EN Numbers__: Common ones include EN 14476 (virucidal - kills viruses) and EN 13727 (bactericidal - kills bacteria).
- __Interpretation__: A label showing "BS EN 14476: 1 min" means the product is proven to kill viruses if left wet for one minute.

### Surfaces Requiring Disinfection:
Food equipment and surfaces that pose a high risk of contamination must undergo the two-stage process using an effective sanitiser. This includes:
- Food contact surfaces (e.g., worksurfaces, knives, slicing machines).
- Hand contact surfaces (e.g., taps, door handles, light switches).
- Materials likely to carry contamination (e.g., cleaning cloths, mops, waste bins).

### Cleaning Cloths: 
Single-use cloths are ideal. If cloths are reused, they must be cleaned and disinfected appropriately, and separate; designated cloths must be used for raw and ready-to-eat food areas.
 
### Implementing a "clean as you go" policy: 
Cleaning spillages and equipment as they happen—is also a great practice to maintain hygiene throughout the working day. It is the responsibility of the business owner and staff to assess and execute these cleaning and disinfection requirements based on contamination risk.
 
### Your Hero Products for Inspection

<table style="border:2px solid #000; border-collapse:collapse;">
 <tr>
 <td style="border:2px solid #000;padding: 8px;">
 <a href="/en-gb/products/deepio-professional">Deepio PRO</a>
 </td>
 <td style="border:2px solid #000;padding: 8px;">
 <a href="/en-gb/products/fairy-professional">Fairy PRO</a>
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="border:2px solid #000;padding: 8px;">
 1. Degreaser Spray 
 2. Safe for food contact surface 
 3. HACCP compliant 
 4. Disinfecting food contact safe (C5 RTU) + EN NORM 
 </td>
 <td style="border:2px solid #000;padding: 8px;">
 1. Washing up liquid for professional use 
 2. HACCP compliant 
 3. Disinfecting multi surface 
 </td>
 </tr>
</table>

Hand Washing Basins: Basins must be clean, equipped with running hot 

P&G PRO recently spoke to Fiona West, the Environmental Health Specialist at NCASS, who shared her insights to ensure your restaurant achieves that 5-star hygiene rating.