COMMUNITY CARE TRUST (SOUTH WEST) LTD
FOOD HYGIENE & NUTRITION
POLICY No HS007
POLICY STATEMENT
This Trust believes that, with respect to food provided within the service or brought into the
service, the service has a duty to ensure that all staff and people using the service 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.
Each unit fully complies with Care Quality Commission standards which relate to the degree to
which the registered manager of a unit ensures that people are protected from food poisoning
and that the unit maintains high food hygiene standards.
The Trust also believes that the provision of a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet for people
using services is of vital importance where the approach to nutrition taken is based upon choice
and quality.
AIM OF THE POLICY
This policy is intended to:
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Protect people from food related illness.
Ensure that people using services benefit from having food provided for them that is of
high quality, well presented and prepared and is nutritionally sound.
Ensure that those with special dietary needs are supported.
Ensure that those with food allergens are provided with information and guidance.
FOOD HYGIENE
Poorly prepared, stored or contaminated food can be the source of potentially fatal infections
such as salmonella and listeria. The Trust believes that the effective management of food safety
relies heavily on having written operational policies for the safe preparation, storage and
handling of food. Therefore:
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All food will be prepared, cooked, stored and presented in accordance with the high
standards required by the Food Safety Act 1990, the Food Safety & Hygiene (England)
Regulations 2013, the General Food Regulations 2004, the Food Standards Agency and
compliance with Safer food better business (SFBB) guidance.
All food preparation areas, storage areas and serving areas should be kept clean and in
good repair and condition.
All food preparation areas will be designed to permit good hygiene practice and be easy
to clean and disinfect and should protect food against external sources of contamination
such as pests.
Adequate sanitary and hand washing facilities will be available.
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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.
Everyone in a food handling area must maintain a high level of personal cleanliness.
Food handlers should receive adequate supervision, instruction and training in food
hygiene.
All people MUST wash their hands before and after handling foodstuffs and, in addition,
all staff helping in the preparation or serving of food should wear protective equipment
provided, such as disposable gloves.
Any suspected outbreaks of food poisoning should be reported immediately to the local
consultant in communicable disease control (CCDC).
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.
FOOD AND NUTRITION
The Trust believes that every person has the right to a varied and nutritious diet that provides
for all of their dietary needs and offers health, choice and pleasure. To accomplish this, each
person will be asked for their individual food preferences as well as their cultural, religious or
health needs and these will be taken into account when planning menus.
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Each person will be offered three meals each day, at least one of which will be cooked.
Hot and cold drinks will be available at all times.
Religious, personal and cultural special needs will be fully catered for. Menus will take
into account any ethnic or cultural dietary needs of people and will be sensitive to
religious and cultural beliefs surrounding food.
Menu planning and review will be conducted with people using the service on a regular
basis.
Special therapeutic diets will be provided when advised by health care or dietetic staff.
Mealtimes will be unhurried and relaxed, with people being given plenty of time to eat
and enjoy their food.
FOOD ALLERGIES AND INTOLERANCES
Food allergic reactions range from mild to very serious. Symptoms can affect different areas of
the body at the same time and can include rashes, swelling, chest tightness and shortness of
breath. Serious cases can lead to anaphylaxis (a life-threatening reaction) and death.
Food intolerance can be caused by difficulties digesting certain ingredients, such as lactose from
milk. Symptoms include diarrhoea, bloating and stomach cramps and usually only occur several
hours after eating the food.
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The 14 major allergens are:
Allergen
Cereals containing
gluten
Crustaceans
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Soybeans
Milk
Nuts
Celery
Mustard
Sesame
Sulphur Dioxide
Lupin
Molluscs
Examples
Wheat (such as spelt and Khorasan wheat/Kamut), rye, barley and oats.
Foods containing flour, such, batter, breadcrumbs, bread, cakes,
couscous, meat products, pasta, pastry, sauces, soups and fried foods
which are dusted with flour.
Crabs, lobster, prawns and scampi. Shrimp paste, often used in Thai and
south-east Asian food.
Cakes, some meat products, mayonnaise, mousses, pasta, quiche, sauces
and pastries or foods brushed or glazed with egg.
All species of fish, fish sauces, pizzas, relishes, salad dressings, stock
cubes and Worcestershire sauce.
(Ground Nuts/Monkey Nuts), biscuits, cakes, curries, desserts, sauces
(such as satay sauce), groundnut oil and peanut flour.
Soy, Soya, tofu, bean curd, edamame beans, miso paste, textured soya
protein, soya flour. It can also be found in desserts, ice cream, meat
products, sauces and vegetarian products.
(Cow, Sheep, Goat, Buffalo), butter, cheese, cream, milk powders,
yoghurt, foods brushed or glazed with milk, and in powdered soups and
sauces.
Nuts which grow on trees, e.g. cashews, almonds, hazelnuts & brazils.
Found in breads, biscuits, crackers, desserts, nut powders, stir-fried
dishes, ice cream, marzipan (almond paste), nut oils and sauces.
Celery stalks, leaves, seeds and the root (celeriac). Celery salt, salads,
some meat products, soups and stock cubes.
Paste, powder and seeds. Found in breads, curries, marinades, meat
products, salad dressings, sauces and soups.
Seeds and oil. Hamburger buns, breadsticks, houmous and tahini.
Toasted seeds used in salads.
Dried fruit (raisins, dried apricots and prunes). Meat products, soft
drinks, vegetables as well as in wine and beer. People with asthma, have
a higher risk of developing a reaction to sulphur dioxide.
Found in flour. Lupin flour and seeds can be used in some types of
bread, pastries and pasta.
Mussels, land snails, squid and whelks. Found in oyster sauce or as an
ingredient in fish stews.
The Trust recognises the importance of meeting the Food Standards Agency requirement to
provide information about the ingredients used in any food provided. Each unit will provide a
content sheet for all dishes prepared and provided; this will ensure all people eating food
prepared on the premises will be aware of any potential allergenic ingredients used.
Date of last review:
Version number:
Date of next review:
July 2015
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July 2018
Signature: ……………………………………
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