6.6 Food hygiene

Policy statement

We provide and serve food for children on the following basis:

Snacks.

We maintain the highest possible food hygiene standards with regard to the purchase, storage, preparation and serving of food.

We are registered as a food provider with the local authority Environmental Health Department.

Procedures

Our staff with responsibility for food preparation understand the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) as it applies to our setting. This is set out in Safer Food, Better Business. The basis for this is risk assessment of the purchase, storage, preparation and serving of food to prevent growth of bacteria and food contamination.

All our staff follow the guidelines of Safer Food, Better Business.
All our staff who are involved in the preparation and handling of food have received training in food hygiene, by completing an online food hygiene course.
Colour coded boards are available for the preparation of snack.
We carry out daily opening and closing checks on the kitchen to ensure standards are met consistently. (See Safer Food, Better Business)
We use reliable suppliers for the food we purchase for snack.
Food is stored at correct temperatures and is checked to ensure it is in-date and not subject to contamination by pests, rodents or mould.
Fridge temperatures are checked daily.
Un-refrigerated food is served to children immediately after it has been prepared.
Food preparation areas are cleaned before and after use.
All surfaces are clean and non-porous.
All utensils, crockery etc. are cleaned in a dishwasher, and occasionally by hand. They are stored appropriately.
Waste food is disposed of daily.

Cleaning materials and other dangerous materials are stored out of children's reach.
Children do not have unsupervised access to the kitchen, a stair gate is in place.
When children take part in cooking activities, they:

are supervised at all times;
understand the importance of hand-washing and simple hygiene rules;
are kept away from hot surfaces and hot water;
do not have unsupervised access to the kitchen and electrical equipment, such as blenders etc.

Reporting of food poisoning

Food poisoning can occur for a number of reasons; not all cases of sickness or diarrhoea are as a result of food poisoning and not all cases of sickness or diarrhoea are reportable.

Where children and/or adults have been diagnosed by a GP or hospital doctor to be suffering from food poisoning and where it seems possible that the source of the outbreak is within our setting, the manager will contact the Environmental Health Department to report the outbreak and will comply with any investigation.
We notify Ofsted as soon as reasonably practicable of any confirmed cases of food poisoning affecting two or more children looked after on the premises, and always within 14 days of the incident.