Food Hygiene for Home Businesses

Social media and internet advertising have made it easier than ever to run a business from home, and this even extends to the food industry. Whether you’d like to start making exquisite cakes in your spare time, or you’d like to produce artisanal delights full-time, it’s entirely feasible these days, provided you’ve got the skills and business know-how. 

One of the big points that you’ll need to think about when running a food business from home is hygiene. It’s incredibly important when you’re making food that you’re going to sell, and it does require a reasonable amount of knowledge. 

In this article, we’re going to take a look at what you need to do legally in regards to food hygiene, and what food hygiene at home practices make for a safe environment to prepare food.

Home Food Business Regulations: What the Law Says

Unfortunately, the law surrounding food hygiene when it comes to a home catering business isn’t all that straightforward. There are differing elements to the legislation, and things can be different depending on where in the country you live. 

As a result, the first piece of advice is that you should go to your local authority and find out what they require from you before starting a food business from home. In almost all cases, this will be readily available online. 

Generally, there are four elements that you’re going to need to take into consideration when it comes to the law.

Legislation

The first is to understand the General Food Regulations, which cover all of the main elements of food law. There are several parts to this, coming from both the EU and the UK government, as well as different pieces of legislation for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

You can find comprehensive information about other key pieces of food hygiene legislation on the FSA’s website.

Premises

Your premises will need to be set up and maintained in accordance with the food safety legislation and guidelines put out by the government, and then they will be inspected, just as with any other food business. This could be the kitchen in your home that you use for domestic cooking as well, or it could be a separate kitchen you have built in another part of your house.

Your premises will be inspected as part of a food hygiene inspection carried out by an environmental health officer. For more information, read our guide to preparing and passing these inspections here. 

You need to not only understand what the requirements are, but you need to understand the process of inspection too. Again, this is something that your local authority will carry out and be able to help you with.

Training

Food hygiene law requires that all people involved in the production of food have adequate training for their jobs. The law doesn’t give specific details as to exactly what this training must involve, or which bodies must accredit it, but it’s something you must look into. 

Fortunately, food hygiene courses are inexpensive, can often be done online, and have no entry requirements. You’ll be presented with a food hygiene certificate that you can use to show you know your stuff. 

Virtual College offers a wide range of courses that you might find helpful if you’re looking for a food hygiene qualification to help with running a food business from home. You can find out more on our food hygiene course page.

Paperwork

Paperwork is an unfortunate element of most businesses, and a home catering business is no different. You need to produce documentation that shows you have food safety management procedures in place, which includes things like storage and cooking. 

Paperwork providing your qualifications, risk assessments and health and safety procedures might be asked for by your local authority and will be checked when you are inspected. You should have all of this on hand, ideally stored in a folder that is easy to access, so presenting the relevant paperwork is easy to do.

Food Hygiene Rules for Preparing Food at Home

Whether you’re wondering how to pass a food hygiene inspection at home or just want to make sure that you’re adhering to official health and safety guidance, it’s very important to uphold good food hygiene standards to keep your customers safe and ensure the highest quality for the products you’re making at home.

‘The Four Cs’ are commonly used as the best way of tackling food safety for home business. Understand and master these and you’ll have no problem running your commercial kitchen at home in accordance with good food safety standards.

Cross-Contamination

Cross-contamination is one of the major causes of foodborne illnesses and refers to what happens when raw or even cooked foods aren’t handled properly. If hands, utensils or equipment aren’t cleaned properly between use or touching different ingredients, bacteria get spread around the kitchen as more and more items are contaminated, ultimately resulting in dangerous bacteria getting into food without being cooked or otherwise dealt with. 

As part of food hygiene at home, cross-contamination can be avoided by ensuring that the right utensils, chopping boards and preparation areas are used for the right food items. Similarly, certain foods shouldn’t be stored together or in such a way that they might come into contact with one another.

Cleaning

One of the best ways of killing the aforementioned bacteria is by thoroughly cleaning everything that you’re using as part of the food preparation process. This means washing things like raw vegetables, and the utensils and surfaces that you’re using. 

Of course, one of the number one rules for food safety at home is to make sure that you’ve washed your hands properly before you do anything. This means washing them before you start preparing food, after touching raw ingredients, and after you’ve finished a food preparation task, as well as standard in standard personal hygiene situations like sneezing, touching a bin or going to the toilet.

Cooking

The kitchen requirements for your home baking business might not involve cooking any of your food as part of the preparation process. But if you do, it’s absolutely essential that it’s done properly. 

Meats and other foodstuffs can carry very dangerous bacteria, but this can be completely eliminated by cooking these ingredients to the right temperature. In general, commercial and home food business regulations state that foods that need to be cooked must reach 74 degrees throughout, and this should be tested with a thermometer. 

If foods are being held at a certain temperature, this must be done in the right way, and many foods shouldn’t be reheated either.

Chilling

Certain bacteria thrive at room temperature, which is why many foods have to be refrigerated. Ensure you understand what does need to be kept in the fridge and what doesn’t, which is a key element of how to pass a food hygiene inspection at home.

You also need to make sure that the refrigeration you’re using is at the correct temperature - it mustn’t be too warm. Having a process that regularly measures the temperature of your fridges is a good idea for a home commercial kitchen, as this allows you to quickly identify whether something has gone wrong or whether your ingredients are all still safe to eat. This goes for freezing too.

FAQs

Do I need a food hygiene certificate to sell food from home?

Official guidance from the FSA states that it is not essential to have a food hygiene certificate to sell food from home. However, it is recommended as a way to improve your knowledge of food hygiene and demonstrate a commitment to upholding proper food safety standards. 

Can I sell cakes from home without a license?

If you’re selling cakes from home through a home catering business, you need to register as self-employed and properly register your business as well. A food hygiene licence is not required, but it is recommended.

How do I get a food hygiene certificate for my kitchen?

You can get a food hygiene certificate for a commercial kitchen at home by completing any food hygiene training course, either online or in person. You will also receive a certificate and hygiene rating after having a food hygiene inspection, which will take place after you have set up your business and periodically after that as well.

Summary

Running a food business from home is an exciting endeavour that presents plenty of freedom and challenge. But, as with running any kind of business, you need to make sure that you’re following official guidance and regulations when you’re selling products to the public so that quality and hygiene standards are upheld, your customers are safe, and your reputation is maintained. 

If you’re wondering how to set up a food business from home or want to improve your food hygiene knowledge, our online food hygiene courses cover all the topics you need to know. Our Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene course is an ideal place to start if you’re new to running your own food business from home.