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Environmental Health visits

Will an EHO accept digital food safety records?

Yes. An EHO will accept digital food safety records if they are complete, dated, and accessible on the day. UK food law requires a HACCP-based food safety management system, not a paper pack. FSA SFBB guidance for England and Wales lists an electronic diary as an official option. No software is “EHO approved”.

Last reviewed: . Written by Oriel Technology Ltd.

Start 14-day free trial Digital SFBB records

Will an EHO accept digital food safety records?

Yes, if they are complete, dated, and you can open them during the visit. Inspectors need evidence you run a food safety management system. They do not need a ring binder. Digital records with timestamps and a name on the line are often easier to review than last night’s catch-up.

That is not the same as “EHO approved”. We do not claim a regulator endorsement, an FSA badge, or Primary Authority status.

What is due diligence under the Food Safety Act 1990?

Due diligence is the defence in Food Safety Act 1990 section 21: you took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the offence. Dated food safety records help you show what you did. They are not a guarantee, and they do not replace cooking, chilling, and cleaning.

In an SFBB kitchen that typically means opening and closing checks, temperature logs, delivery checks, manager sign-off, and the 4-weekly review for the period the officer asks about. Digital records count if they are complete, dated, and accessible. A pack filled in at 11pm is not due diligence — it is a catch-up.

An officer who sees perfect logs and an unsafe fridge will not treat the logs as the story.

What the law actually requires

You must have procedures based on HACCP principles and evidence you follow them. The format is not specified as paper.

Retained Regulation (EC) 852/2004 Article 5 requires food businesses to put in place, implement, and maintain a permanent procedure based on HACCP. Safer Food, Better Business is one way small catering businesses in England and Wales meet that duty. CookSafe and Safe Catering do the same job in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

What FSA SFBB guidance says

For England and Wales, FSA says diary pages can be stored electronically or as printed copies.

Store all your completed diary pages safely until your next visit from a local authority food safety officer. This can be done electronically or with printed copies. They may want to look at your diary pages as well as your SFBB pack.

Safer food, better business (SFBB), Food Standards Agency / GOV.UK, 5 June 2025. Applies to England and Wales.

The same page lists an electronic diary as one of two official options. Officers may still want the pack, not only the diary. See what digital SFBB records need to cover.

What officers usually ask to see

Opening and closing checks, temperatures, deliveries, manager sign-off, and the 4-weekly review for the dates they care about. The full visit walk-through is on what an EHO checks in a restaurant.

If those exist, are attributed, and can be found in seconds, the visit is about the food and the kitchen — not a scramble for clipboards.

How to hand over digital records on the day

Keep the diary on a device a manager can unlock. Filter to the dates asked. Show who completed each check.

  1. Keep the diary on site. A manager can unlock a tablet or phone without leaving the kitchen.
  2. Filter to the dates asked. Do not scroll a year of noise. Show the period they name.
  3. Show who completed each check. Name on the line and a timestamp beat a blank that was filled at close.
  4. Open the 4-weekly review. Same pack logic: look back, persistent problems, sign-off.
  5. Do not invent a paper backup at the pass. If digital is the system, that is what you hand over.

Why paper still fails when the food is good

You are exposed if the pack was filled in at 11pm, left in the office, or cannot be read. You are not a bad operator because the food is good. The visit is unannounced. Due diligence is dated records you can hand over — not a catch-up written from memory after service.

Is System Hub EHO approved?

No. We do not claim EHO approval, FSA endorsement, or Primary Authority status. FSA lists an electronic diary as an option. It does not approve apps. The records have to stand on completeness, dates, and access.

How System Hub is built for that hand-over

Timestamped SFBB checks during the shift, alerts when skipped, searchable history. Staff complete the same opening checks, temps, and deliveries on a kitchen tablet or phone. Managers see gaps while the shift is still running.

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FAQ

Questions owners ask before the visit

Will an EHO accept digital food safety records?
Yes. An EHO will accept digital food safety records if they are complete, dated, and accessible on the day. UK food law requires a HACCP-based food safety management system, not a paper pack. FSA SFBB guidance for England and Wales lists an electronic diary as an official option. No software is “EHO approved”.
Will the EHO accept digital records?
Yes, if they are complete, dated, and you can open them during the visit. Format is not the test. Timestamped logs with a name on the line are often easier to review than a pack filled in at close. We do not claim a regulator endorsement, an FSA badge, or Primary Authority status.
What is due diligence under the Food Safety Act 1990?
Due diligence is the defence in Food Safety Act 1990 section 21: you took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the offence. Dated food safety records help you show what you did. They are not a guarantee, and they do not replace cooking, chilling, and cleaning.
What does due diligence look like on the day?
Due diligence is dated records you can hand over for the period the officer asks about. In an SFBB kitchen that typically means opening and closing checks, temperature logs, delivery checks, manager sign-off, and the 4-weekly review. If those exist, are attributed, and can be found in seconds, the visit is about the kitchen — not a scramble for clipboards. See what an EHO asks to see.
Is System Hub EHO approved?
No. We do not claim Environmental Health Officer approval, FSA endorsement, or Primary Authority status. The records have to stand on completeness, dates, and access. FSA lists an electronic diary as an option. It does not approve apps.
Do I need to print the diary for the visit?
Only if you cannot open it. FSA says completed diary pages can be stored electronically or with printed copies. If digital is your system, that is what you hand over. Printing overnight because you do not trust the tablet is the same habit as filling the pack in at 11pm.
What if the tablet is dead or the wifi is down?
Digital records only count if you can open them. Keep a charged device on site that a manager can unlock. If the diary cannot be shown, that is the same problem as a pack left in the office. Accessible means on the day, in the kitchen, without a scramble.
Does a timestamped log replace cooking food safely?
No. Records evidence the system. The kitchen still has to follow it. An officer who sees perfect logs and an unsafe fridge will not treat the logs as the story. Timestamped checks help you catch gaps during the shift. They do not replace cooking, chilling, and cleaning.