EHO Inspection Checklist 2026: 10 Things Officers Always Check First

TLDR

• Temperature records are the first document most EHOs request. Paper SC2 logs covering 0.7% of the day are the weakest link.

• Hand-wash basins need hot water, soap, and paper towels. Missing one is an instant hygiene mark.

• SFBB or HACCP documentation must be current and in active use: not filed away gathering dust.

• Cross-contamination controls get a visual check within the first 5 minutes of the inspection.

• Cleaning schedules must match what you actually do. Outdated charts are a red flag.

• Staff training certificates prove competence. No records means no evidence.

• Pest control documentation must be current with recent visit reports.

• Allergen management is a top enforcement priority since Natasha's Law.

• Walls, ceilings, floors, and doors are scored separately under structural compliance.

• Waste and bin areas get checked last but scored heavily if they create contamination risks.

1. Temperature records — the very first thing they ask for

Nine times out of ten, the first words after 'Hello, I'm from Environmental Health' are 'Can I see your temperature records?' This is the fastest way for an officer to gauge how seriously you take food safety.

They want to see logs for every fridge, freezer, and hot-hold unit. They'll check the last 7–14 days. They'll look for gaps: missed days, blank columns, suspiciously round numbers. A paper SC2 form with '3°C' written in the same handwriting every day for a month doesn't inspire confidence.

The UK legal threshold is 8°C for chilled food and -18°C for frozen. But officers know that two daily readings cover just 0.7% of a 24-hour period: what we call <a href='/blog/silent-compliance-failure'>the Silent Compliance Failure</a>. A wireless temperature sensor recording every 5 minutes produces 288 readings per day. That kind of evidence shows you're monitoring properly, not just ticking a box.

Pro tip: if you're still on paper logs, at minimum record the actual decimal (3.2°C, not '3°C') and include the time, the reader's name, and the unit location. Officers notice when readings are too neat. Make sure the probe you're using is calibrated: an uncalibrated reading undermines the entire record.

2. Hand-wash basins — hot water, soap, and paper towels

Officers will walk straight to your hand-wash basin and test it. They're checking three things: hot running water, liquid antibacterial soap, and single-use paper towels (or a working hand dryer). Missing any one of these is a hygiene compliance failure.

The basin must be designated for hand-washing only. If staff are also washing lettuce in it, that's a cross-contamination issue. It must be accessible: not blocked by a stack of boxes or hidden behind a door that's hard to open during service.

Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 Annex II Chapter I requires 'an adequate number of washbasins suitably located and designated for cleaning hands.' That wording: 'designated': means you need a sign saying 'Hand Wash Only' and nothing else should happen at that sink.

This is one of the cheapest fixes in the kitchen. A soap dispenser costs £5. Paper towel holder costs £10. But missing them costs you points on every inspection.

3. SFBB or HACCP documentation — current, not dusty

Officers will ask for your food safety management system documentation. For most small businesses, that's the Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) pack. For manufacturers, it's a full HACCP plan. Either way, they want to see that it's actively used.

Here's what triggers a bad score: an SFBB diary with no entries for the past month. Opening pages filled in but review sections blank. A HACCP plan dated 2021 with no evidence it's been updated since. These tell the officer that the documentation is wallpaper, not a working system.

Your SFBB diary should show regular entries: ideally daily or weekly, with specific notes about what was checked, what was found, and what was done about any issues. Officers weigh this heavily under the confidence in management score, which is the single biggest factor in whether you get a 5 or a 3.

If you haven't looked at your SFBB pack in over a month, fix that today. Open it, date a new entry, and write down one thing you checked. It takes two minutes.

4. Cross-contamination controls — raw and cooked separation

Within the first five minutes, the officer will open your fridge. They're looking at one thing: is raw food stored below cooked food? Raw meat on the top shelf dripping onto ready-to-eat sandwiches below is the classic failure that turns a 4 into a 1.

They'll also check your chopping boards. Colour-coded boards (red for raw meat, blue for fish, green for salad, yellow for cooked meat, brown for vegetables, white for dairy/bread) are the UK standard. If every board is the same colour or the colours don't match the foods, that's a mark.

Separate storage containers, covered foods, and clear labelling all count. Officers check whether opened products are dated and labelled with use-by dates. Unmarked containers of unidentified liquids in the fridge are an instant red flag.

This isn't just about fridge layout. They'll watch how staff handle food during prep. Do they wash hands between handling raw chicken and slicing bread? Do they use separate utensils? The visual check happens fast and it's hard to fake.

5. Cleaning schedules — does the chart match reality?

Every food business needs a documented cleaning schedule. Officers will ask to see yours. Then they'll look at the actual kitchen to check whether it matches.

A cleaning schedule should list every area and piece of equipment, the cleaning frequency, the method, the chemicals used (with concentrations), and who's responsible. Officers specifically look for sign-off columns showing that cleaning was actually done: not just that a schedule exists.

The gap between schedule and reality is where marks get lost. If your schedule says 'deep clean extraction hood: weekly' but the hood is visibly greasy and the last sign-off was three weeks ago, the officer doesn't need to ask any more questions.

Keep it simple. A one-page cleaning schedule pinned to the wall, signed daily by whoever did the cleaning, with dates and initials. That's worth more to an EHO than a 30-page cleaning manual that nobody reads.

6. Staff training records — proving your team is competent

Confidence in management isn't just about what you know. It's about whether you can prove your team knows it too. Officers will ask for training records: certificates, induction records, or any evidence that staff have been trained in food hygiene.

The minimum standard is a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate for anyone handling food. Supervisors and managers should hold Level 3. If you have a HACCP Level 3 qualification, that's strong evidence for the confidence in management score.

Officers also check whether training is current. A Level 2 certificate from 2015 tells them nothing about whether that person understands current allergen labelling requirements or the latest SFBB guidance. Best practice is to refresh food hygiene training every 3 years.

Keep a training matrix: a simple spreadsheet showing each staff member's name, role, qualification, date achieved, and renewal date. Have it accessible, not locked in an office upstairs. Officers don't want to wait while you search for paperwork.

7. Pest control — documentation and physical evidence

Officers check two things: your pest control documentation and physical signs of pest activity. Both matter equally.

If you use a pest control contractor, you need current service reports on file. These should show when the last visit was, what was found, what treatments were applied, and the next scheduled visit. A contract alone isn't enough: the officer wants evidence of actual service visits.

They'll also walk the kitchen looking for physical signs: droppings in corners, gnaw marks on packaging, dead insects near light fittings, gaps under external doors where rodents can enter. Bait stations should be numbered and mapped. If you have 12 bait stations on your premises plan but the officer can only find 10, that's a question you'll need to answer.

Proofing: sealing gaps around pipes, fitting door brushes, covering drains: is part of structural compliance. A spotlessly clean kitchen with a 2cm gap under the back door is still a pest risk and will be scored accordingly.

8. Allergen management — Natasha's Law changed everything

Since October 2021, Natasha's Law (the UK Food Information Amendment) requires businesses that prepare pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) food to label all 14 allergens. The FSA reported 101 allergy alerts in 2024/25: up from 64 the previous year. Officers are checking allergen management more closely than ever.

They'll ask to see your allergen matrix: a chart showing which menu items contain which of the 14 allergens. If you don't have one, that's an immediate confidence in management issue. If you have one but it hasn't been updated since you changed your menu, same problem.

Officers also check how allergen information is communicated to customers. Menu boards should indicate where allergen info is available. Staff should be able to answer 'Does this contain nuts?' without guessing. If your team's answer is 'I think so' or 'Probably not,' you'll lose points.

For PPDS foods: sandwiches made on site, salad boxes, wrapped cakes: every item needs a full ingredients list with the 14 allergens emphasised in bold, italics, or a different font. No exceptions.

9. Structural condition — walls, ceilings, floors, and doors

Structural compliance is scored separately from hygiene and management. Even a perfectly clean kitchen can lose points here. Officers check walls for peeling paint, cracked tiles, or damaged surfaces that can't be effectively cleaned. Ceilings are checked for flaking paint, condensation damage, or mould. Floors must be in good repair with no cracks or missing tiles where bacteria can collect.

Doors and windows get specific attention. External doors must close properly and seal against pests. Windows that open in food preparation areas need fly screens. Internal doors between raw and cooked areas must be self-closing if your HACCP plan relies on them for separation.

The scoring on structural compliance runs from 0 (good) to 25 (urgent improvement). Most businesses sit between 0 and 10. Anything above 15 and you're looking at a rating of 2 or lower regardless of how clean your kitchen is.

Structural fixes take time and money, so they're harder to address on the day. Start a maintenance log. Photograph issues, schedule repairs, and keep receipts. Showing an officer that you've already identified and planned a fix is worth nearly as much as having already fixed it.

10. Waste management — bins, storage, and external areas

Officers typically inspect waste areas last, but don't treat them as an afterthought. Overflowing bins, uncovered waste containers, food waste stored near kitchen entrances, or external bin areas that attract pests: these all affect your score.

Inside the kitchen, bins should have lids and foot pedals. They must be emptied frequently enough that they never overflow during service. Bin areas should be separate from food prep surfaces and cleaned regularly.

External waste areas get scored under structural compliance. The ground surface should be clean and hard-standing (concrete or tarmac, not dirt). Bins should have working lids. Commercial waste bins should be stored in a dedicated area away from delivery entrances.

Recycling matters too. Not for the hygiene score itself, but because poorly managed recycling bins (cardboard left out in rain, attracting pests) create the same contamination risk as poorly managed general waste.

EHO inspection checklist: scoring impact comparison

Here's how each of these 10 items maps to your FHRS score.

How FHRS scoring actually works

Your food hygiene rating isn't a simple pass/fail. Officers score three categories on a scale where lower is better.

Hygiene compliance: 0 (good), 5 (generally satisfactory), 10 (improvement necessary), 15 (major improvement necessary), 20 (urgent improvement necessary), 25 (imminent risk). Covers food handling, temperature control, cleanliness, and cross-contamination.

Structural compliance: Same 0–25 scale. Covers the physical condition of the premises: walls, floors, ceilings, ventilation, lighting, hand-wash facilities, and pest proofing.

Confidence in management: 0 (high), 5 (generally satisfactory), 10 (improvement necessary), 20 (little confidence), 30 (no confidence). Covers HACCP/SFBB documentation, training records, track record, and whether the officer believes standards will be maintained.

A perfect score is 0 + 0 + 0 = 0, which gives you a 5-star rating. To get 5 stars, your combined total must not exceed 15, and no single category can score above 5. A total of 25–30 gets you 4 stars. Above 30 and you're looking at 3 or lower.

The confidence in management score has the most weight. You can have a spotless kitchen (hygiene 0, structural 0) but if confidence in management hits 10 or above, you cap out at 4 stars. That's why documentation, training records, and temperature monitoring matter so much.

Turn this EHO inspection checklist into a weekly self-audit

Don't wait for the knock on the door. Run through this checklist every Monday morning. It takes 15 minutes.

Walk the kitchen with a clipboard (or your phone). Check each of the 10 items. Score yourself honestly. Fix anything you can fix immediately. Log the rest as maintenance items with dates and owners.

Take a photo of your fridge layout, your hand-wash station, your cleaning schedule sign-offs. Store them with your SFBB diary. When the officer arrives, you'll have weeks of evidence showing consistent standards: not a frantic tidying session from that morning.

The businesses that consistently score 5 stars aren't doing anything special. They're doing these 10 things, every week, without fail. That's the whole secret.