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Brief summary: Food Hygiene Regulations 2006 - Regulation (EC) 852/2006
The following is a brief summary on what is legally required in a catering establishment and
should be considered when running a food business. It is recommended your catering premises
are regularly audited to assess the effectiveness of the management control systems in place.
Structure – Legal Requirement
The walls, floors, ceilings, doors and windows to all food premises must be maintained in good
repair and condition. The structure should be washable to permit adequate cleaning/disinfection
with no danger of contamination by any external sources such as pests.
Equipment – Legal Requirements
All equipment that comes into contact with food must be in good condition and made of a
material that permits adequate cleaning and disinfection.
Work Flow/Layout – Recommendations
It is important to consider the work flow in a catering establishment especially if the area being
used has not been designed for a commercial catering purpose. For example, it is not
recommended to have a washing up area, with dirty plates and food waste, adjacent to an area
where high risk foods, such as sandwiches, salad or fruit are being prepared. Initial
considerations at the design and planning stages can prevent the risk of cross contamination
and potential food poisoning outbreaks in the future.
Cleaning – Legal Requirements
Food premises must be kept clean and maintained in good repair and condition. The
accumulation of dirt and grease must be controlled to prevented potential bacterial
contamination or encourage pest infestation.
Ventilation – Legal Requirement
There must be suitable and sufficient means of natural or mechanical ventilation. Mechanical air
flow from a contaminated area to a clean area must be avoided, such as a toilet to a food
preparation area. The ventilation system must reduce the build up of heat, steam and
condensation to prevent mould growth occurring.
Lighting – Legal Requirements
All parts of the food premises must have adequate natural and/or artificial lighting to allow for
safe working and effective cleaning.
Staff toilet – Legal Requirements
Dedicated catering staff toilets must be available. They must not lead directly into a food room
and must have adequate mechanical ventilation.
Wash Hand Basins – Legal Requirements
An adequate number of wash hand basins must be provided. These should be designated for
cleaning hands and be accessible within the food preparation area. The wash had basin must
have hot and cold running water, a liquid soap (anti-bacterial) dispenser and ideally disposable
paper hand towels.
Washing Equipment – Legislation
Adequate facilities must be provided for the cleaning and disinfection of equipment and utensils.
The number of sinks required will depend on the type and scale of the business planned. In a
professional catering establishment two sinks (one for washing and one for rinsing and
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disinfecting) is recommended, however a mechanical commercial dishwashers is preferred to
ensure thermal disinfection.
Food Washing – Legal Requirement
Adequate provision must be made for any necessary washing of food. Every sink used for food
washing must have an adequate supply of hot and/or cold potable water, and be kept clean. In
larger catering operations separate sinks must be provided for food preparation and
equipment/utensil washing.
Personal Hygiene – Legal Requirements
Catering employees must comply with the strict personal cleanliness rules and wear dedicated
kitchen uniform when working in a food preparation area. Personnel suspected of carrying an
infectious disease or known to be suffering from diarrhoea, vomiting, skin infection or sores must
not work in the kitchen. It is a food handler’s legal duty to inform their line manager if they are
suffering from any of the above.
Staff Training – Legal Requirements
Employers must ensure all food handlers are adequately instructed, supervised and trained in all
aspects of food hygiene. The level of training is dependent on their duties and responsibilities as
a food handler. The greater the risk to the public the more in-depth training required. All staff
who prepare and handle food should receive food hygiene/safety training equivalent to level 2
within three months of starting work. Before catering employees commence work for the first
time they should be inducted in the essentials of food hygiene (level 1). It is good practice that
food handlers who have a supervisory capacity such as head cook, chef or managers undertake
a higher level of training such as the CIEH Level 3 Award in Food Safety in Catering.
Health Education Partnership can provide hygiene/food safety training at your school or at a
local training centre. Please contact for more details.
Tel: 08000 488 566
Email: support@healtheducationpartnership.com
Temperature Requirements – Legal Requirements
Subject to certain exemptions, food may not be stored above 8°C if it is likely to support the
growth of pathogenic organisms or the formation of toxins.

The core temperature of meat, fish and poultry should reach a temperature of 70°C for
two minutes to ensure pathogenic organisms associated with food poisoning are
destroyed.

Cooked food kept hot should be at least 63°C

Reheating of food previously cooked should be prevented. If this practice is used, food
should be prepared and chilled under strict guidelines and then heated to at least 75°C

The legal temperature of a refrigerator is below 8°C

The recommended refrigerator temperature is below 5°C

The freezer temperature is recommended to be -18°C or below
A documented food safety system that monitors food temperatures is required. This
documentation will prove that you are complying with the law and should anything go wrong, can
be used as evidence in your legal defence.
For further advice and assistance: freephone 08000 488 566 or support@healtheducationpartnership.com