Bed and Breakfast establishments
Introduction
This information produced by the Food and
Occupational Health Team provides guidance on the food safety and
health and safety requirements that apply to Bed and Breakfasts (B
& B's). This information does not cover fully those B & B's
that do evening meal food preparation or that employ any members of
staff.
For further information or advice please do not
hesitate to contact the Environmental Health Unit. See our contact
details, link to B & Bs relating to health and safety and other
relevant links at the bottom of this page.
Food Safety
The main legislation to be complied with is the
Food Safety (England) Regulations 2006.
Food premises registration
All bed and breakfast establishments must register with the
Environmental Health Unit. Please click on the related links
section below for further information (Registration of Food
Businesses). Food premises registration is free of charge and
must be renewed on change of ownership.
Inspection topics
The main food hygiene requirements and topics
that the inspecting officer may wish to discuss and will be
assessing during a routine food hygiene inspection are:
The kitchen
- All surfaces must be capable of being
effectively cleaned.
Domestic kitchen units that are in a good condition are normally of
an acceptable standard.
- Carpeting is not recommended for kitchen floors,
but where it is used, it must be kept clean and in a good
condition. It is strongly recommended that the next time the floor
covering is due for replacement an easy to clean (washable) floor
surface should be provided.
- It is recommended that food equipment and
utensils should not be stored underneath the sink unit due to the
potential risk of contamination from waste water.
- Ideally washing machines or tumble dryers should
not be located in the kitchen area. If an alternative location
cannot be found, then these activities must be carried out at a
separate time to any food preparation and the work surface
thoroughly cleaned before recommencing food preparation. Dirty
laundry must not be stored in the kitchen area.
Handling practices
- Personal hygiene must be of a high standard at
all times;
- This includes the wearing of appropriate
clothing, and the removal of any jewellery;
Wash hands before food preparation, after handling raw meat or
eggs, and pets, and after going to the toilet etc.;
- Do not carry out any food preparation activities
when suffering from sickness and/or diarrhoea, including the 48
hours after the last bout of symptoms.
- Effective cleaning must be carried out, and it
is recommended that a suitable disinfectant / sanitiser is
available for use.
- No smoking in the kitchen area;
- Due to the potential risk of contamination, pets
should not be allowed in or fed in the kitchen area. If this cannot
be prevented, then all surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned before
food preparation begins.
Food Safety Management
To help small catering establishments comply with the Hygiene
Regulations the Food Standards Agency have developed a food safety
management pack called 'Safer Food Better Business'. For
further information please click on the Food Standards Agency link
in the related links section below.
Temperature control
Refrigerator: The legal requirement is that
'high risk' foods such as meat, dairy products and food items which
the manufacturer states keep refrigerated, must be kept at a
temperature of 8°C or below. It is recommended that a thermometer
should be available to take the temperature of any units that you
have. When taking the air temperature, a satisfactory temperature
range would be between 06°C, as the temperature of the food items
may be 1-2°C higher.
It is a strong recommendation to record the
temperature of the fridge on a regular basis, so that any
deficiencies in performance can be identified and dealt with
immediately, and also it could form as part of a 'due diligence
defence' showing that all reasonable precautions have been
taken.
You must also ensure that:
- To minimise any possible cross contamination raw
meat must be kept below or separate to cooked/ready to eat
foods.
- All food items should be kept covered if
practicable to prevent any possible contamination.
- A suitable stock rotation system must be in
place.
Recommendations
- Eggs should be stored in the fridge.
- Defrosting of food should be carried out in the
fridge, if not practicable then food should be left at room
temperature for as short a time as possible.
- Freezer; The recommended operating temperature
should be 18 to -21°C, and the freezer unit should be defrosted on
a regular basis. Manufacturer's star ratings guidance on storage
times must be adhered to.
Food hygiene training
Food handlers must be supervised, instructed
and / or trained in food hygiene to a level appropriate to their
work. To comply with this it is strongly recommended that the main
food handler undertakes the Basic Food Hygiene Certificate course
or equivalent.
Refresher courses are available to update any
existing training.
Please click on the Food Hygiene Training
related link at the bottom of this page for further
information.
Alcohol
To sell alcohol from the premises you must
comply with the Licensing Act 2003. For further information on the
Licensing Act please click on the related link below.