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Food hygiene inspections

When inspections happen and what to expect. Hygiene emergency protection notices and appeals.

Low risk food business self-assessment

If your food business operations are low risk, we recommend you complete our self-assessment questionnaire. 

If the questionnaire gives us the information we need, we will not need to do an in-person inspection after your first new business inspection. 

Types of low risk food business

These include:

  • home caterers
  • childminders / assisted living settings
  • newsagents
  • some mobile caterers
  • market stalls
  • community groups
  • cricket clubs

Business like this can do a self-assessment. This means we can prioritise higher risk businesses like restaurants, takeaways and food manufacturers for in-person inspections.  

Complete the self assessment questionnaire

After you complete the questionnaire

We will review the information you gave us to confirm that you are complying with food hygiene and safety law. 

If your operations are largely unchanged, we will: 

  • update our systems to show that a virtual inspection has taken place
  • amend your next inspection due date

In some cases, we may contact you for more information. 

We may still need to carry out an in-person inspection if there are significant changes to:

  • the foods you prepare or sell
  • your business or its ownership