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Environmental Health visits

What does an EHO check in a restaurant?

An Environmental Health Officer checks how you handle food, the premises, and your food safety management records. They typically ask for opening checks, temperatures, deliveries, manager sign-off, and the 4-weekly review for the dates they care about. Format is not the test. Complete, dated, accessible records are.

Last reviewed: . Written by Oriel Technology Ltd.

Start 14-day free trial Will they accept digital records?

What officers usually ask to see

Local authorities run the visit. There is no single national script. In an SFBB kitchen the records conversation is usually the diary, not a speech about software.

  • Opening and closing checks
  • Fridge, freezer, cooking, and hot-holding temperatures
  • Delivery acceptance
  • Manager sign-off
  • The 4-weekly SFBB review

They may also want the safe methods, not only the diary pages. A temperature log on its own is not a food safety management system. See what digital SFBB records need to cover.

The visit is about the kitchen, then the pack

Officers look at how food is handled, stored, cooked, and cleaned. Records help you show due diligence under Food Safety Act 1990 section 21. Dated records help. They are not a guarantee. We do not claim EHO approval, FSA endorsement, or Primary Authority status.

How to hand records over without a scramble

Keep the diary on a device a manager can unlock. Filter to the dates asked. Show who completed each check. If the tablet is dead, digital records are not accessible — the same problem as a pack left in the office. Full steps live on will an EHO accept digital food safety records.

How System Hub is built for that hand-over

Timestamped SFBB checks during the shift, alerts when skipped, searchable history. Works in the browser. 14-day trial, no card, then £5/week per location via Stripe. Cancel anytime.

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FAQ

Questions about the visit

What does an EHO check in a restaurant?
How you handle food, the structure and cleanliness of the premises, and whether you run a food safety management system. For an SFBB kitchen that usually means opening and closing checks, temperature logs, deliveries, manager sign-off, and the 4-weekly review for the dates they ask about.
Will they only look at paperwork?
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.
Will an EHO accept digital records on the visit?
Yes, if they are complete, dated, and accessible. No software is EHO approved. Read will an EHO accept digital food safety records.
How much is System Hub Food Safety?
14-day trial, no card. Then £5/week per location via Stripe. Cancel anytime.