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Environmental Services Food Hygiene and Standards
To register as an approved childminder you must contact the Council. Telephone the Town Hall on 020 7361 3013 for details.
You are legally required to register your premises if you are preparing food for the children and you offer child minding 5 or more days in 5 consecutive weeks. 'Preparing food' includes all the food operations listed above and therefore includes serving children with food provided by their parents. Where parents do provide their children’s food, guidance should be given to them about the safe preparation, packaging, transport and storage of food. A registration form can be obtained from Environmental Health on 020 7361 3002, or visit the food hygiene and standards homepage.
Applicants are reminded that the Environmental Health check is a part of the registration process. The decision to register as a day-care provider is based on assessment of both ‘fit’ premises and ‘fit’ person by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). Therefore meeting the Environmental Health requirements does not necessarily mean registration will be granted.
Below are some useful websites which provide food safety information for consumers and businesses:
www.rbkc.gov.uk/foodhygieneandstandards
www.food.gov.uk
www.eatwell.gov.uk
As a childminder you need to consider all food operations carried out in your childminding business and ensure that at each stage food is being treated in a safe and hygienic way. Food operations include:
Examples of hazards you should consider are the presence of harmful bacteria in raw meat, the growth of harmful bacteria in foods stored at room temperature, cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods, contamination by pests or pets, physical contamination and chemical contamination.
This close examination of the food operations you carry out is known as hazard analysis. It is not difficult to carry out and the controls you put in place can be very simple. Once your hazard analysis is in place, it is important for you to regularly review your control measures and take any necessary steps to take account of future changes in your operations.
The following is an example of a hazard analysis to prevent harmful bacteria in raw meat contaminating ready cooked foods:
To reduce the risk of food poisoning adopt the Food Standards Agency’s recommended approach to food safety:
Before starting to work as a childminder you must be familiar with the Essentials of Food Hygiene. This must cover:
Childminders are recommended to attend the pre-registration training course, Introducing Childminding Practice (ICP) in order to ensure that they meet this requirement. Details of further training courses run by the Royal Borough can be obtained by contacting the Childminding Development Team on 020 7938 8052 or the Environmental Health Department on 020 7361 3002.
The Environmental Health Department runs a range of food safety courses for service users. Visit the food safety training page or call 020 7361 3002.
Care must be taken with the preparation of foods containing nuts. Some children can be allergic to nuts and other foods and a severe reaction can occur. Consultation must be carried out with parents and special precautions taken in the purchase or preparation of foods as appropriate. Read 'Be allergy aware' available from the Food Standards Agency. Telephone: 0845 606 0667.
The Environmental Health Department carries out allergy awareness training for a range of service users. Telephone 020 7341 5606.
It is recommended that you provide a thermometer in all chilled and frozen storage units and regularly check the temperatures of the food items remain at or below 8°C for chilled foods, and around -18°C for frozen foods.
It is recommended that you make regular checks of your equipment for storing cold foods to ensure it is working correctly and you keep a written record of your checks.
Regular hand washing is important for personal cleanliness. Hand washing facilities must be provided with soap and hand drying facilities. Preferably use a paper or disposable towel. Before preparing food you must wash your hands specifically:
The structure of the kitchen and storerooms must be readily cleansable. Suitable floor coverings or floor tiles, vinyl floor covering etc. Wall and ceilings finishes should be washable paints. Ceramic wall tiles are preferable alongside or above food preparation surfaces. There must be a potable water supply (drinking water) in the sink within the kitchen.
All equipment used for food preparation must be kept clean and kept in such condition and constructed so it can be kept clean.
You must regularly clean within the kitchen and storerooms and it is essential to use the correct cleaning materials. Care must be taken with the use of cleaning materials. The manufacturers instructions must always be followed.
Detergents or degreasers are required to clean items or areas that are greasy or oily. These materials do not kill bacteria.
Disinfectants should be used on surfaces that come into contact with food or hands, and must be of a ‘food safe’ type. They kill bacteria but do not have cleaning properties. It is important to clean items or areas with detergent before using disinfectants.
Sanitizers are chemicals that have detergent and disinfectant properties. When used in food preparation areas they must be of a ‘food safe’ variety.
There must be suitable and sufficient lighting and ventilation provided within the kitchen.
There must be adequate arrangements in place for the disposal of food waste and other refuse. Lidded, readily cleansable bins must be provided and the waste should be regularly removed from the kitchen and stored so as to not attract pests.
You must take all reasonable precautions to prevent food pests, namely rats, mice, cockroaches and flying insects gaining entry into food storage and preparation areas. This is to prevent the contamination of foodstuffs.
The duty to enforce the Health and Safety legislation in domestic premises, where child minders operate, falls to the Health and Safety Executive. For further advice they can be contacted on 020 7556 2100 or by post to: H.S.E. 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS, or visit their website.
For further general advice please contact the Health & Safety Team on 020 7361 3002 or e-mail us on health.safety.atwork@rbkc.gov.uk or call the HSE informaition-line on 08701 545500.
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