Food safety for home catering

If you run your food business from home, it is essential that you follow good food hygiene and safety practices.    

The following guidance will support you to make sure that you produce your food safely and reduce the risk of contamination, food poisoning or food complaints.  

Your kitchen 

Your kitchen must:

  • be made of materials that are easy to clean and without cracks that could hold dirt 
  • have good access to areas for cleaning, sanitation and maintenance  
  • be a suitable size for the nature of your business  
  • used exclusively for the purpose of the food business while your food is being prepared  
  • not used for any purpose which is likely to contaminate or affect the food  
  • have cleaning equipment available such as hot running water, cloths and cleaning chemicals, sink or dishwasher  

Personal hygiene

You need to:

  • have hand washing equipment  
  • wear clean clothes  
  • remove jewellery  
  • tie long hair back   
  • keep fingernails short  
  • remove nail varnish  
  • be in good health so do not cook if you have a heavy cold or cough, open wounds, or symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea  

Ingredients 

You need to:

  • make sure there is safe storage of ingredients and packaging – allergens stored separately 
  • not use food that is out of date 
  • avoid cross contamination of different food groups when preparing  
  • accurately weigh or measure all ingredients according to the recipe 

Preparation and storage 

You should:

  • always follow a reputable recipe  
  • accurately measure all ingredients according to the recipe  
  • wash containers in hot water with detergent and rinse well or use a dishwasher 
  • cover all foods with food grade packaging  

Labelling requirements 

You must:

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