The document outlines essential food hygiene rules for running a restaurant, emphasizing the importance of proper registration, staff training, and hygiene facilities. Key practices include effective handwashing, food separation, temperature control, and preventing contamination. Additionally, it stresses the importance of stock control and proper waste disposal to maintain hygiene standards.

1. Basic Guidance Principles for Restaurants
Food Hygiene Rules

2. Segue slideRunning a restaurant

3. ➔ Register the premises with the local authority
➔ Ensure the premises are designed & operated appropriately
➔ Provide adequate washing & personal hygiene facilities for staff
➔ All staff should be trained to an appropriate level
➔ Appropriate action must be taken to prevent the risk from food hazards

4. Segue slidePersonal Hygiene

5. ➔ Correct handwashing is hugely important to prevent contamination
➔ 15-20 seconds should be spent rubbing soap into wet hands
➔ Use paper towels or an air dryer
➔ Don’t use tea towels or cloths to dry hands - they just collect bacteria!
➔ No watches, brooches, jewelled rings, earrings or strong perfumes
➔ Don’t handle food when suffering from any contagious illness

6. Segue slideFood Hazards

7. ➔ Keep raw and high risk food separate
➔ Keep foods out of the temperature danger zone
➔ The danger zone is below 5°C or above 63°C
➔ Make sure you use tongs - avoid touching food with your hands
➔ Keep raw foods separate
➔ Food must be cooked thoroughly (at least 70°C for 2 minutes) to kill bacteria
➔ When hot-holding food, it must be kept at 63°C or above

8. Segue slideChilling & Freezing

9. ➔ The freezer should be operating at a maximum temperature of -18°C
➔ Check the temperature of your fridge regularly and record it
➔ Ideally fridge temperatures should be 1°C – 4°C
➔ Don’t leave the freezer door open, or overload it above the load line
➔ Label all foods with the correct dates to ensure that stock is rotated correctly
➔ Ensure that you keep the raw foods on the lower shelves
➔ Do not put hot foods directly into the fridge

10. Segue slidePreventing Contamination

11. ➔ Immediately clean work surfaces where raw meat has been handled
➔ Keep equipment used in the preparation of raw meats & poultry separate
➔ Maintain a high standard of general cleanliness of worktops & equipment
➔ Keep separate cloths & chopping boards for use with different kinds of food
➔ Keep wiping cloths used in raw food areas out of other areas
➔ Work with clean cloths, disinfect them regularly
➔ Remember a cloth is only as clean as the last place it wiped!

12. Segue slideServing Food

13. ➔ Use tongs or spoons to pick up food - one for each kind of food
➔ Place paper, polythene or a container on scales before using them
➔ Never handle food & money at the same time
➔ Make sure animals are kept out of food premises (except guide dogs)
➔ Keep foods covered to prevent customers contaminating them
➔ Tie back hair & avoid long, painted or false nails

14. Segue slideStock Control

15. ➔ Foods should be bought from reputable suppliers
➔ Regularly ensure physical objects or chemicals are not contaminating foods
➔ Move old stock to the front of the fridge where it will be used first
➔ Place new stock underneath old stock in freezers
➔ Rotate fresh produce by date & condition
➔ Remember FIFO – First In First Out

16. Segue slideWaste

17. ➔ Food waste must be disposed of properly
➔ It can be a source of both bacterial & physical contamination
➔ There should be bins both inside & outside
➔ Indoor bins should have lids and ideally be foot operated
➔ Line all bins with a disposable polythene sack
➔ Rubbish should be removed throughout the day
➔ Outdoor bins should have a tight fitting lid or use a skip with a lid

18. Segue slideFind out more

19. ➔ Take our quick online food hygiene quiz to test your knowledge
➔ Read more food hygiene posts on our hub
➔ Follow us on twitter @hst