However, while every business wants good customer feedback, one of the most critical ratings that your business will receive is its food hygiene rating. 

This can be make or break for hospitality businesses. Not only does this score ensure regulatory compliance, but it can (if you score highly) significantly improve your reputation, and the trust your customers have in you. 

So, if you have a food hygiene rating assessment coming up, keep reading. Below, our commercial cleaning experts have shared their top tips for improving your food hygiene rating. 

What is the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme?

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is run in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is an initiative conducted by local authorities, in partnership with the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Participation in this scheme is compulsory in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland has a slightly different system, called the Food Hygiene Information Scheme). 

The scores are awarded to any business that sells, prepares or serves food to the public. In order to assign these scores, an unannounced inspection of the business takes place, after which the inspector determines the score. 

The initiative works to maintain high public health, and maintain high compliance with government food preparation, storage and serving requirements. 

At the same time, the scheme also gives customers better access to information about the food businesses they are buying from. It gives them a clear, immediately comparable point of reference for a businesses’ hygiene, cleanliness, food safety and management. In turn, this accountability and transparency encourages low-scoring food businesses to improve their standards, quickly. 

Understanding the rating scale

Once the inspection has been completed, the business is given a rating, from 5 to 0. 

The meaning of these scores are as follows:

• 5 – Hygiene standards are very good. 
• 4 – Hygiene standards are good. 
• 3 – Hygiene standards are generally satisfactory.
• 2 – Some improvement is necessary.
• 1 – Major improvement is necessary. 
• 0 – Urgent improvement is required.

These scores are assigned based on three key factors:

1. How the food is handled – Including the hygiene standards during the food’s preparation, cooking, reheating, cooling and storage.
2. The condition of the premises – Including the overall site cleanliness, layout, ventilation, maintenance, facilities and pest control, among others. 
3. The management and documentation of food safety – Including regulatory compliance, staff training, record keeping, and whether any advice from previous inspections has been acted on. 

How can a business improve its food hygiene rating?

If you want to improve your existing score, or ensure a good score for an upcoming inspection, here are the key steps that we’d recommend you take. 

Look through your last inspection report 

Go through your previous report thoroughly, paying particular attention to any complaints or shortcomings that the inspector pointed out. Ensure you have done everything you can to resolve these issues. Then, document the changes that you made in detail, and include evidence of the changes you made.  

Implement strict cleaning regimes 

Make sure your premises has strict cleaning routines in place, which all of your staff are familiar with. This should include surfaces / areas to disinfect regularly, and using the right cleaning chemicals and methods for each area of your site. 

Minimise the risk of cross-contamination

You should be employing best practice approaches to physically separate raw and cooked foods, like colour-coded chopping boards and equipment, and separate storage / refrigeration areas. You should also ensure that you’re using correct temperature controls when storing, cooking and reheating foods. 

Make improvements to your premises

Go through the site, and check for any damage to floors, walls, ceilings or worktop surfaces. Repair any issues, wherever possible. Make sure that your workspaces are well organised, and not too cluttered. Check that your ventilation and hand-washing facilities are in good working order. 

Consider your staff training 

Think about the staff training that you currently have in place. Is it sufficient? Do you have refresher training sessions scheduled at regular intervals? Training should also cover personal hygiene (e.g. hand-washing, tying hair back, wearing minimal jewellery). 

Maintain clear documentation 

Keep thorough records of all the work that you are doing to maintain high cleaning standards. This should include staff training, cleaning schedules, inspections, improvements and your daily regimes. You could even conduct ‘mock’ inspections in between official inspections, to test yourself and your staff. If you do this, make sure you document it, too. 

Enlist a professional commercial cleaning company 

By working with a commercial cleaning company, you can arrange regular cleans – at a time frame that suits you – to be completed by professional cleaners. This is a fantastic way to ensure your site undergoes thorough top-to-bottom cleans, completed by specialists with a thorough understanding of cleaning regulations and best practices. 

At JMS Cleaning Services, we work with businesses across the country to implement a dependable cleaning schedule, and help them improve their food hygiene rating. To find out more about how we can support your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

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It’s vital for any business or public building to prevent against the threat of pest infestation, so this month we’re looking at the how regularly cleaning your office, school, restaurant or shop can stop any pests from taking over your premises and causing harm to any workers, patrons or visitors.

Removing food residue

Different pests are attracted to different things. Food will be a common attraction for a number of different pests, such as rats and mice as well as specific beetles. If you let your commercial space build up with food residue and crumbs, an infestation will be waiting to happen. For this reason, regular floor cleaning is incredibly important. Carpets, rugs and tiled floors in kitchens and eating areas will be a magnet for all sorts of foodstuff, and a thorough vacuum, scrubbing or deep clean will purge surfaces of any nasty spills or grime which would otherwise be a feeding ground for pests.

Bin cleaning

Bins are a common cause of infestation, being particularly alluring for rats, so keeping them clean and emptying them regularly won’t offer pests a chance to mark their territory.

This goes for inside and outside – particularly in restaurants, cafes and kitchens in general. Your outdoor bin area should be kept as clean as possible. Clean up any spills from torn refuse bags – leaving spilled food out in the open is an open invitation for rodents – and keep lids closed to avoid an influx of flies, wasps and insects.

Disinfectant

Regularly disinfecting the various surfaces around the building will stop the spread of germs, and will also clear areas of all the sweet smelling leftovers that pests find so attractive. Kitchens should be kept in pristine condition, with daily scrubbing and spraying making sure worktops, sinks, ovens, walls and floors are spick and span and free from the aftermath of morning, lunchtime and afternoon snacking.

Bathrooms and toilets will also be a primary focus, as these rooms can attract a variety of nasty pests. Cockroaches are a particular risk, so cleaning up water and fluid spillages is vital.

In an office environment, desks will be a prime location for pests. Crumbs, spillages, leftover food and more can all be harbored on or around the desks, creating a feeding ground for unwanted insects, flies and more. Obviously, this causes a huge health hazard to employees, with many pests carrying and spreading disease or illness, and these can spread even faster around desks. Disinfecting workstations and generally keeping them free from built up food residue – particularly old fruit – will make for a happier and healthier workspace for all.

Deep cleans

The most thorough cleaning process available, a deep clean will utilise all of the most effective cleaning materials available to clean every nook and cranny throughout the premises. A deep clean can help bring your business from the brink of infestation to a clean, spotless and hygienic space.

A deep clean is the perfect preparation for a more regular cleaning regime. Deep cleans deal with the worst of the grime, producing a much cleaner standard for your premises which can be maintained by regular cleans either weekly, daily or monthly as necessary.

Deep cleans will clear much of the unhygienic mess caked into your premises, from carpets and rugs to clutter-filled storage rooms, kitchens, cafeterias and more.

With infestations, prevention is all about making sure there isn’t a source for rodents, insects or flies to latch on to. Regular and deep cleaning your business will remove most of the sources of infestation, and much of the sustenance that keeps pests thriving and allows them to live long enough to multiply. The cleaner your building is, the less likely you’ll suffer an infestation, so if you haven’t yet figured out a regular cleaning program, or are in need of help from professional, meticulous cleaners, why not give JMS Cleaning Services a call?

JMS Cleaning Services are the North West’s leading commercial cleaning company, providing regular and one–off cleaning for a range of commercial, retail and industrial premises. With a team of experienced cleaners who use the highest quality products and techniques, we can help make your commercial premises as clean and hygienic as possible, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.

The post How Cleaning Can Prevent Pest Infestations in Your Property appeared first on JMS Cleaning Services.

Businesses are required by law to follow good food hygiene practices to prevent food contamination. This includes keeping your premises clean, preventing airborne contamination and providing adequate handwashing facilities for staff.

The only way to ensure that your commercial catering area is kept clean and fully compliant with regulations is to organise professional and regular cleaning from the experts.

Here at JMS Cleaning Services we provide Contract Cleaning services, and even One-Off Deep Cleans.

Give us a call for a quote today!

However, there are a number of simple tasks that should be carried out each day whenever the kitchen has been in use.

Cleaning Tasks for a Commercial Kitchen:

Surfaces

Clean, then wipe with a bleach solution.

Equipment

If not thoroughly cleaned, components become a breeding ground for germs. Plastic and rubber components on smaller items, such as food processors and blenders, can be cleaned in a dishwasher if they are dishwasher safe. Compartments on bigger appliances, such as refrigerators, should be removed and washed where possible.

Plastic Food Storage Containers

These should be washed with hot water and disinfectant after each use.

Cleaning Cloths and Mops

Use a clean dishcloth daily. Also clean mops daily with a strong disinfectant.

Drains

Clean drains once a week by pouring a cup of hot water in followed by a cup of undiluted chlorine bleach a minute later and leave overnight.

Without regular cleaning, commercial kitchens become susceptible to a number of dangerous bacteria that can cause serious illness.

Dangerous Bacteria in Unclean Kitchens:

Covid-19

It is important that all staff and cooks in the kitchen wash their hands regularly with hand sanitiser, or disinfectant soap. Also, it would be advise that each member of staff that is working in the kitchen, or near it, to wear a face covering mask.

Campylobacter

This is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK, causing over 100 deaths a year. Most cases come from contaminated poultry, but campylobacter is also found in red meat, unpasteurised milk and untreated water. It spreads easily to other foods, causing illness.

Listeria Monocytogenes

This causes the most food poisoning deaths. It can be present in milk and foods made from raw milk and can contaminate processed meats. Unlike many other germs, it can grow even in a cold refrigerator.

E.coli

Some foods are contaminated with E. coli because they are not prepared or cooked properly. Common food types include; ground beef, unpasteurised milk and fresh produce.

Salmonella

This is a bacterial disease of the intestinal tract. People become infected mostly through contaminated water or foods, especially meat, poultry and eggs.

Having a professional clean your kitchen is a good way to prevent the spread of disease. JMS Cleaning Services have years of experience in providing kitchen hygiene cleans for all commercial catering environments.

Organising a regular professional clean is the only way to keep your kitchen in the best condition, and JMS can arrange a cleaning schedule that is sympathetic to the needs of your business. Get in touch today to find out more.

The post The Dangers of an Unhygienic Commercial Kitchen appeared first on JMS Cleaning Services.