Premises, equipment and workflow

Food premises must be designed and kept so that they can be cleaned, keep pests out, protect food from contamination and allow temperature control where it is needed. These are legal requirements for all food premises.

Food should move in one direction, from dirty to clean: delivery, storage, preparation, cooking, cooling or holding, and service. Raw and ready-to-eat food should not cross, and nor should clean and dirty items. In a small kitchen a straight line may not be possible. Then you separate work by time: prepare salads first, then clean and disinfect the bench, then prepare raw meat.

You need enough handwashing basins, in the right places. Each needs hot and cold running water, soap and a hygienic way to dry hands. Basins for hands must be used for hands only. Where necessary, food must be washed in a separate sink. Toilets must not open directly into rooms where food is handled. Ventilation, lighting and drainage must be adequate. Provide changing facilities where they are needed. Cleaning chemicals must not be stored where food is handled.

Floors, walls, ceilings, doors and windows must be kept in sound condition and be easy to clean. Windows that open into food rooms and could let insects in need removable insect screens. Report damaged tiles, cracked seals and flaking paint. They trap dirt, make cleaning harder and can fall into food.

Equipment that touches food must be made of suitable materials, kept in good repair and be easy to clean and disinfect. It should be installed so that the area around it can be cleaned. Plan maintenance. A fridge with a worn door seal is a food safety problem, not only a repair job. Keep service records for refrigeration, dishwashers and ventilation. If equipment is broken, take it out of use and label it so that nobody uses it by mistake.

Water used for food must be safe to drink. This includes water for ice. Non-drinking water, if there is any, must have its own identified system.

Market stalls, vans, marquees and homes used for food business have their own rules. They still need handwashing, safe water, waste storage and temperature control, and must be kept so as to avoid contamination.

Here is an example. A café plans to add a sandwich counter by moving the fridge next to the dishwash area. Dirty plates would now pass beside open sandwich fillings. A supervisor should look at how people, food and waste will move before the work starts. If you are building or refitting, ask your local authority for advice at the planning stage. It is much cheaper to change a drawing than a kitchen.