Advice on environmental health for selling home produce

[lbr102]

Hello - I'm new here so first of all hi!

I found this site when I googled a question I had and I was wondering if anyone had any advice.

I enjoy making chutneys at home and around Christmas time I decided I would like to start selling them at local farmers markets and online. I've done my research but the one thing I struggle on is the environmental health stuff as it seems to vary so much from county to county (or at least that's what I've read).

I have sent off the registration form to my local council and they are coming out to inspect me on Friday. I really don't have a clue what they will look for other than the obvious that it must be clean. It seems that every authority varies so much and the information the council sent me initially was very vague!

Does anyone have any tips? I am going to intensively clean the whole kitchen tomorrow including the oven and fridge, remove cleaning products and find somewhere else to store them, clean the oven, organise my cupboards and remove all of my decorative bits and bobs as well as non-essential kitchen equipment such as my slow cooker and coffee machine.

I was just wondering if anyone else has any other tips?

Thanks in advance.

[chris]

Hello there, welcome aboard!

You may find this thread useful (i.e. links contained inside it): http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...-go_54765.html

I would have thought at the very least a food hygine certificate would be required as well as your above prep? Either way, I'm sure they'll let you know. Keep us updated, it'll be good for future reference and for us nosey lot too! Best of luck!

[Two_Sheds]

If I did it, I'd probably have to move the parrots out of the kitchen

[chris]

to add, I don't thnk you'd need to remove all your decorative items? I've worked in some kitchen that have had decorative, and loads of 'personal' items, heck one of the "chefs" in one had a slow cooker on the go, so at the end of his shift he boxed it up and took it home heh

[vicky]

If I did it, I'd probably have to move the parrots out of the kitchen

I thought you shouldn't keep parrots in the kitchen anyway due to the risk of poisoning by Teflon fumes?

Parrot Health and Nutrition - FAQs

[lbr102]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll take a look at that other thread.

Good to hear I hopefully won't have to remove all my bits and bobs - I like my teapot up on it's shelf. I think I'll remove things for now and then query that with the lady when she comes. On making days I could certainly do with my slow cooker on the go as as much as I love to cook, I'm not so sure I'll feel that way after making 50 jars of chutney!

Re: food hygiene certificate, I'm really not sure if I need to. The leaflet from the government is very vague and basically says you don't need to go on a formal course but you need to show knowledge (or something along those lines). That said, it sounds as though it will vary from authority to authority. For e.g. all of the advice is worded such as

'You should have surfaces made of X material that can be wiped down unless your local authority gives you permission otherwise'.

I have a feeling from speaking to another online friend who is in catering that a lot of it depends on the luck on the day of who you get!

[chris]

Well yep, the 'basic food hygene' cert is pretty much common sense anyway, hardly worth doing imho.

[Hilary B]

One thing not commonly found in domestic kitchens, and very much 'liked' (not necessarily demanded) by the 'powers that be' is hand washing facilities separate from the kitchen sink.

[lbr102]

One thing not commonly found in domestic kitchens, and very much 'liked' (not necessarily demanded) by the 'powers that be' is hand washing facilities separate from the kitchen sink.

Sadly this is the one that has worried me. We rent at the moment so it is beyond me to get a second sink sadly. It was suggested to me that a hand sanitizer on the wall may suffice. I had a look today in town at the general ones in the pharmacies but I wasn't sure if they would be OK for working with food.