Download Date - Hackney Council

Environmental Health
A guide to …..
Running food stalls at shows and festivals in Hackney
Whether you are a professional caterer or just running a food stall for a one-off event,
you need to meet certain legal requirements to make sure:
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The food you produce is hygienic and safe to eat
The equipment you use will not harm you or any member of the public
Here are some guidelines to help you have a safe, successful event.
Preventing food poisoning
Make sure you follow the four ‘C’s’ of food safety
Cross contamination
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Keep food covered and off the floor, especially when transporting or storing it.
Store and prepare raw food (i.e. raw meat) separately from ready-to-eat foods
(i.e. salads) that don’t need to be cooked before serving.
Keep rubbish well away from food in sealed containers or bags.
Never prepare or serve food if you are not feeling well, especially with an upset
stomach as you could contaminate the food.
Cleaning
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Wash and disinfect equipment as you go, especially after preparing raw meat,
poultry or eggs.
Use single-use cleaning cloths or freshly cleaned and disinfected ones.
Ensure that you have food grade cleaning chemicals including antibacterial spray
for equipment and work surfaces.
Always wash hands in hot water with soap, and dry them ideally using
disposable paper towels before and after touching anything that can contaminate
food.
Chilling
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Keep high-risk and ready-to-eat foods below 8ºC in a fridge or in cool boxes until
needed.
Cooking
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Cook food thoroughly, especially meat, sauces, and foods containing eggs or
shellfish. Food should be cooked to a minimum of 75ºC, the temperature can be
checked using a disinfected probe thermometer.
Ideally serve food hot immediately, although you can hot hold in equipment such
as a bain marie, soup kettle, rice cooker and the food must stay above 63ºC,
again this can be checked using a disinfected probe thermometer.
Avoid re-heating food, and if you must re-heat food, it must reach at least 75ºC
and only re-heat a maximum of ONCE.
The right equipment
As a minimum you will need:
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Washable, easy to clean work surfaces and equipment
Separate basins or bowls for washing hands, equipment and food
Enough soap and towels for all staff
Cleaning cloths, detergent products, disinfectant/antibacterial spray
Hot and cold dinking water
Cool boxes for storing chilled food
Containers or gullies for waste water and containers or bags for solid waste
Protective clothing for all staff, i.e. aprons, hats
Waterproof plasters to cover cuts and grazes (preferably blue)
Good management
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Make sure you are trained in food hygiene, ideally have a certified qualification
such as Level 2 in food hygiene, and also supervise your assistants in safe
methods for food handling
Choose reputable suppliers that you can trust
Make sure that you have registered the place you are operating from with your
local Environmental Health Dept, for example if within Hackney would be with
Hackney council
Consider the need to label food and declare allergens, the Environmental Health
Team can provide further information and advice.
A Food Safety Management System such as ‘Safer Food Better Business’
should be used.
Preventing accidents
Try to anticipate what could go wrong and take necessary precautions.
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Remember to check all your equipment to make sure it is safe and fit for use.
Set up your stall or equipment safely – make sure sharp edges or surfaces
can’t injure people.
Don’t set up your stall or equipment where customers could trip, slip or fall.
Make sure your customers, especially children, cannot reach hot surfaces
and flames e.g. tea urns, gas burners, hot plates or generators.
Make sure all moving parts of machinery e.g. compressors, generators, are
guarded and sited away from the public.
Make sure you follow the safety instructions on the labels of chemicals and
keep cleaning materials away from food.
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders
You must take special care with LPG cylinders to reduce the risk of accidents, fire or
explosion:
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Keep LPG cylinders outside – away from drains, excessive heat and ignition
sources, combustible materials and the public.
Don’t keep more LPG than is needed, including spare or empty cylinders.
Store cylinders associated with stalls or vans on firm, level ground.
Check hoses and connections for cylinders to make sure they are secure and fit
well
Never over tighten hose connections or clips
Make sure that all LPG appliances have proper ventilation
Never leave cylinders or cartridges which are in use, unattended
Turn off gas supply when not in use
Follow the manufacturers instructions when changing the cylinder or cartridge in
an appliance
Don’t drop or roll the cylinders
Generators
We advise that you consider using diesel fuelled generators rather than petroleum
based generators to minimise fire risks.
For further information contact:
Hackney Environmental Health
Call 020 8356 4911 (Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm)
Fax 020 8356 4916
Email: [email protected]
Write to Environmental Health, Hackney Service Centre, 1 Hillman Street, Hackney
London E8 1DY
Or visit www.hackney.gov.uk/environmentalhealth
This leaflet has been prepared for guidance and is not an authoritative statement of the
law.