{{org_field_logo}}

{{org_field_name}}

---

Food Safety and Hygiene in Care Homes Policy

Policy Statement

This home believes that, with respect to food provided within the home or brought into the home, the home has a duty to ensure that all staff and service users should be kept as safe as possible from food poisoning and related food associated illness by the adoption of high standards of food hygiene and food preparation.

Aim of the Policy

This policy is intended to:

• ensure that service users benefit from having food provided for them that is of high quality, well presented and prepared and is nutritionally sound
• protect staff and service users from food-related illness.

Food Hygiene Policy

Poorly prepared, stored or contaminated food can be the source of potentially fatal infections such as Salmonella and Listeria. Managers or owners of care homes are responsible for the food hygiene standards within their organisations. This home believes that the effective management of food safety relies heavily on having written operational policies for the safe preparation, storage and handling of food.

Food Preparation Facilities

In this home:

• all food preparation areas will be designed to permit good hygiene practice and be easy to clean and disinfect
• all food preparation and storage areas will be designed and sited to provide adequate ventilation and to protect food against external sources of contamination such as pests and vermin — adequate pest control measures will be taken to ensure that the risk of contamination is minimised
• all food preparation areas, storage areas and serving areas should be kept in good repair and condition at all times — regular risk assessment and maintenance checks will be made with the findings recorded and logged
• all food preparation areas, storage areas and serving areas should be kept clean at all times — kitchens will be subject to regular cleaning by cleaning staff using colour coded equipment solely for use in kitchen areas. Catering staff will be expected to clean food preparation surfaces, equipment and utensils at regular intervals and as required during food preparation and cooking. Records of cleaning activity will be kept and random quality checks made by {{org_field_name}} Manager
• adequate sanitary and hand washing facilities will be made available for all catering staff
• lavatories will not lead directly into food handling areas
• any “mini-kitchens” designed for residents to be able to prepare their own snacks and drinks will be kept in a clean and hygienic condition and to the same standards as larger kitchens.

Food Preparation and Handling

In {{org_field_name}}:

• all food will be prepared, cooked, stored and presented in accordance with the high standards required by the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2005
• all food safety and hygiene policies and procedures will be implemented by having effective management of food safety systems in place which include a form of risk assessment based upon the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point or HACCP system; all risk assessment findings will be documented and records kept
• staff preparing food will take all reasonable, practical steps to avoid the risk of contamination of food or ingredients
• all tools, equipment and surfaces that come into contact with food being prepared or served must be kept clean at all times
• everyone in a food handling area must maintain a high level of personal cleanliness, and food handlers must wear suitable clean and, where appropriate, protective clothing
• at every stage of meal preparation, food must be protected from contamination likely to render it unfit for human consumption
• cooks should ensure that the correct colour coded knives and chopping boards are used when preparing food to avoid cross contamination, ie:
  • red — raw meatyellow — cooked foodblue — raw fishwhite — bread and dairy productsgreen — salads and vegetables
• all meat and hot foods should be thoroughly cooked or reheated, especially poultry — cooks should use an appropriate cooking thermometer to check the temperature in the middle of food, particularly meats, and cooked meat should be cut open to check that it is piping hot in the middle
• digital probe thermometers should be checked on a monthly basis to ensure that they are giving an accurate reading; they should be serviced regularly and recalibrated as required (manufacturers’ instructions and guidelines should be followed when conducting tests or arranging for servicing — results of checks and services should be recorded) starchy foods should be served directly after cooking — if this is not possible they should be cooled within an hour and kept in the fridge until reheating cooked food should never be reheated more than once
• all deep frozen food should be thawed before cooking (especially important when using a microwave oven)
• all prepared fillings for sandwiches should be stored in a fridge until needed — small quantities of fillings should be taken out as required
• cooks and meal planners should be aware of the risk of Salmonella infection associated with foods containing uncooked eggs
• cooks should avoid serving raw eggs or uncooked foods made from them and for vulnerable people such as the elderly and the sick, all eggs should be cooked until they are hard (both yolk and white)
• cooks should never reuse utensils with which have been used to prepare raw eggs or meat without first washing them with hot water and detergent
• catering staff should never allow juices from raw meat to come into contact with other foods — cooked food and uncooked food should not be stored together and separate marked cutting boards and knives should be used for raw and ready-to-eat food
• salads must be washed thoroughly
• food handlers should receive adequate supervision, instruction and training in food hygiene
• when serving food, appropriate hygiene standards should be scrupulously observed by all staff
• all staff must wash their hands before and after handling foodstuffs and, in addition, all staff helping in the preparation or serving of food should wear the protective equipment provided, such as disposable gloves, hats and aprons
• when serving or displaying food, it can be kept out of temperature control for a limited period of time but this should only be done once and if any food is left after this time it must be thrown away or kept chilled at 8°C or below until it is used — cold foods can be kept above 8°C for up to four hours
• care staff should be careful to ensure that food taken to a resident away from the dining area is covered and kept hot throughout its journey
• where a resident requires help to actually eat their meal this should be provided as quickly as possible to avoid the food going cold again
• if sandwiches are not to be consumed immediately they should be wrapped in food safe packing before display to avoid contamination from handling and to retain their freshness
• all wrapped sandwiches should be labelled with the date and time they were prepared
• it is recommended that sandwiches are stored chilled at all times
• if sandwiches are not refrigerated they should be thrown away after four hours
• wherever possible staff should use utensils or packaging when serving to avoid direct contact with hands.

Food Waste Disposal

In {{org_field_name}}:

• all food waste should be disposed of in a hygienic and environmentally friendly way in line with the home’s waste disposal policy
• refuse should not be allowed to accumulate in kitchens and should not be left overnight
• food waste should be disposed of in appropriate labelled receptacles — receptacles that are usually used for the storage of food for consumption should not be used for refuse
• other kitchen waste generated may be stored in black polythene bags which should be removed when full and at the end of each day; the bags should not be overfilled and should be tied to prevent problems from insects
• the containers for such bags should be maintained in a clean condition and be foot operated and staff should be trained to wash their hands after using the receptacles
• suitable outdoors waste storage facilities will be provided for the storage of food waste prior to its removal from the establishment; these facilities must be maintained in a clean and secure manner to ensure that they are free from pest activity and do not present a health hazard.

Food Procurement and Storage

Product Date Codes

To ensure good stock rotation and compliance with the Food Labelling Regulations, all foods with the exception of unprepared and uncut fruit and vegetables, sugar, wine salt, fresh bread must be date coded. In this home the care home manager should ensure that all produce delivered by nominated suppliers is date coded as part of the purchase specification.

The home understands date codes to be of two types.

1. “Use By” date codes apply to highly perishable, “high risk” products such as cooked meats and dairy products.
2. “Best Before” date codes apply to perishable and non perishable foods, for example, cereals and packed products, cans and bottles.

In {{org_field_name}}:

• all catering products will be procured from reliable, high quality sources
• all products must be used before the expiry of date codes
• care must be taken when using products to check labelling instructions; these might indicate, for example, that the product must be refrigerated after opening or used within three days of opening, etc
• the rule “First In — First Out” should always be applied
• opened packs of food should be decanted into clean containers with close fitting lids labelled and date coded.

Refrigeration

In {{org_field_name}}, the following rules should be applied when storing food in a refrigerator:

• High risk foods should be stored between 0–4ºC*
• Fresh meat, poultry and fish should be stored between 0–1ºC
• Frozen foods to be stored at or below –18ºC
• Cook-chill products to be stored at 3ºC or below

*High risk foods are usually those which contain protein and are intended for consumption without treatment which would destroy such organisms, eg all cooked meat and poultry, cooked meat products including gravy and stock, milk, cream, artificial cream, custards and dairy produce, cooked eggs and products made with eggs, for example mayonnaise, but excluding pastry, bread and similar baked goods, shellfish and other seafood, for example, oysters; cooked rice.

In {{org_field_name}}:

• refrigerators should be packed in a manner which allows good air circulation
• all food should be covered to prevent drying out, cross contamination and the absorption of odour
• higher risk foods should be stored at the rear of the refrigerator where possible and always above raw foods
• refrigerators should be cleaned on at least a weekly basis using food safe chemicals
• spillages should be cleaned as soon as they occur; After cleansing, the surfaces need to be completely dried
• refrigerator should be checked on a weekly basis and refrigerators should be serviced on a regular basis, at least twice a year.

In the Event of Illness in a Food handler or a Suspected Food Related Health Problem

In {{org_field_name}}, in the event of illness in a food handler or a suspected food related health problem among residents:

• any member of staff who becomes ill while handling food should stop work at once and report to whoever is in charge at the time; staff involved in food handling who are ill should see their GP and should only return to work when their GP states that they are safe to do so
• suspected outbreaks of food related ill-health should be reported immediately to a senior member of staff
• any suspected outbreaks of food-related ill health should be reported immediately to the local consultant in communicable disease control (CCDC) and infection control team.

Training

All staff should learn about the dangers of poor food handling and about proper hand washing techniques. Such training must be designed to raise awareness and should form part of the induction process for any new staff. All catering and food handling staff should be appropriately qualified and be offered ongoing training to develop their catering skills and ensure that their infection control techniques are up to date.

---

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}

Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}

Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}

Copyright ©2024 {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved