For those working in hospitality, few things can be as nerve-wracking as a food safety audit or inspection – especially when an environmental health officer (EHO) can arrive at any time and many operators are moving to unannounced third party audits to ensure the best and true reflection of their operations is seen, at any point in time. However, with proper preparation and the right tools, your hotel can be ‘audit ready’ all year round, helping to secure that coveted 5* rating and audit excellence with confidence.
Here, our experts share five actionable tips to help you achieve food safety excellence.
Step 1: Review Your Current Food Safety Processes
What do your current food safety processes look like? Are they clear and organised, and do you have protocols in place for everything – from food delivery and storage to preparation and cooking?
Hospitality professionals need to ensure their procedures are based on HACCP principles (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), a system designed to keep food safe.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) clearly states that this involves:
- Looking closely at what you do in your business, what could go wrong, and what risks there are to food safety
- Identifying any critical control points and areas a business needs to focus on to ensure those risks are removed or reduced to safe levels
- Deciding what action you need to take if something goes wrong
- Making sure that your procedures are being followed and are working
- Keeping records to show your procedures are working
Hazards in this instance are defined as microbiological, chemical, and physical, which naturally covers the prevention of foodborne illnesses, for example.
Many businesses will find gaps in their compliance when they conduct a thorough review. Common oversights might include outdated temperature monitoring procedures, or incomplete allergen management protocols. You may even realise that paperwork is missing, or insufficient, leaving you feeling like there’s a mountain to climb to get everything up to standard!
The good news is, software exists to make food safety compliance a breeze. If you haven’t already, then ditching the paperwork for an automated and cloud-based solution may be the best thing you’ve ever done, keeping all records centralised and effortlessly managed. Navitas Safety’s software, for example, contains 17 ready-made food safety templates, with an option for customisation should you need something bespoke. This makes it easy to make the transition to a paperless hotel which values sustainability (think about all the costs associated with printing, paper consumption and associated energy usage).
Step 2: Conduct Internal Food Safety Audits
Don’t wait for an EHO inspection to raise concerns, and then set the wheels in motion; by that time it could be too late, depending on the severity of issues! Monthly ‘spot checks’ and twice-yearly internal audits will help you spot any problems before an official audit, giving you time to be proactive – rather than reactive – and find a solution.
Digital food safety solutions are even more valuable for businesses with multiple locations. Hotel chains tend to adhere to a standardised set of procedures in order to offer the same quality of service and safety across the board. Paper-based systems make it difficult for management to achieve this, lacking the ‘overall picture’ to discover whether there are any compliance trends, recurring issues, and areas of improvement that need attention.
When hotels complete their checklists, documents, spot checks, and audits via cloud-based software, management gains access to real-time data across all locations, with the option to aggregate data into detailed reports.
We’ve put together a handy Hotel Inspection Checklist which you can use as part of internal audits, helping to ensure you have all inspection criteria covered and are fully compliant with regulatory requirements.
Step 3: Train and Prepare Your Team
Behind any 5* establishment is a confident, well-trained team. Regular training shouldn’t just be a tick-box exercise but a key part of building a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.
This training may occur at regular intervals, or may be ad-hoc as management uncover issues through spot checks, internal audits, or reporting. Training should also be rolled out in line with regulatory updates, making sure your hotel is always up-to-date with the latest food safety standards and protocols.
Digital learning management systems (LMS) can make this process more engaging and effective, offering interactive modules and quizzes, for example. At Navitas Safety, we have a Virtual Academy for all your training needs. Our supercharged training targets specific areas, is EHO approved, CPD Accredited and can be customised to suit your brand.
Step 4: Ensure Record Accuracy and Accessibility
Accurate and readily available records are essential for demonstrating compliance with food safety regulations. Digital software provides peace of mind that everything is centralised and kept in an orderly manner – no more scrambling around trying to get paperwork together at short notice, should an inspector call!
Key records include:
- Supplier documentation
- Temperature monitoring logs
- Cleaning checklists
- Maintenance records
- Incident records
- Training certificates
- Previous audit documents
Step 5: Conduct a Mock Audit
Before any live performance, there are always many rehearsals. Comprehensive mock audits put your team to the test, and help to build confidence as staff learn what to expect.
Guided by digital tools, these simulations also provide an opportunity to discover any weaknesses in food hygiene. Our top tip is to be critical and truthful about what you’re seeing, putting yourself in the shoes of an auditor, and don’t be afraid to document bad practice observations, as this shows you have pro-actively identified them and are working to improve in the immediate or longer term, depending on what you find.
If you identify any issues, record what corrective actions you have taken. This shows EHOs that you’re being thorough in your approaches, and have a culture of continuous improvement, rather than treating audits as ‘tick box’ exercises.
If you would like some extra support alongside your self audit, Navitas Safety offers an External Safety Audit service where our experienced Environmental Health Practitioners can coach you through an audit and help assess your safety standards. It’s always a good idea to get a regular third party perspective to underpin what your team is carrying out internally.
In need of a third party, objective audit? Let’s chat and help your hotel prepare for a 5* rating!
