EHO Inspection Prep Checklist

An Environmental Health Officer scores your business on three areas during a food hygiene inspection: how you handle food, the condition of your premises, and how well you manage food safety. This checklist covers all three, based on the actual criteria from the Food Standards Agency’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.

What EHOs Actually Score

Every food hygiene inspection in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland follows the same framework. The EHO scores three areas on a points-based system – lower scores mean better compliance:

• Food Hygiene and Safety Procedures (0-25 points) – how you handle, prepare, cook, cool, and store food. Temperature control, cross-contamination prevention, personal hygiene.
• Structural Compliance (0-25 points) – the physical condition of your premises. Floors, walls, ceilings, equipment, pest proofing, ventilation, hand wash basins.
• Confidence in Management (0-30 points) – your food safety management system, record keeping, training, and track record. This is the most heavily weighted area.

The three scores are combined and mapped to the 0-5 food hygiene rating. To achieve a 5-star rating, you need to score no more than 5 in each area.

What This Checklist Covers

The checklist is organised into the same three sections the EHO uses:

Section 1: Food Hygiene and Safety Procedures – 21 items covering temperature control (fridge, freezer, cooking, cooling, hot holding, reheating), cross-contamination controls, allergen management, personal hygiene, and food handling practices.

Section 2: Structural Compliance – 19 items covering premises condition, equipment, hand washing facilities, food storage, pest control, waste management, and ventilation.

Section 3: Confidence in Management – 16 items covering your food safety management system (HACCP/SFBB), temperature records, cleaning schedules, training records, supplier documentation, and corrective action logging.

How to Use It

Print the checklist and walk through your premises answering each question honestly. Any item marked “No” is a potential area where you would lose marks during an inspection. Address those issues before your next EHO visit.

Run through the checklist monthly as a self-audit, or whenever you make changes to your menu, suppliers, or premises layout.

What EHOs Do Not Score

The food hygiene rating is not a guide to food quality. EHOs do not assess the taste of your food, your customer service, your decor, your menu variety, or your prices. They are solely focused on food safety and hygiene.

However, the physical condition of your premises does matter – not for aesthetics, but because damaged surfaces cannot be properly cleaned and may harbour bacteria.

Part of a Complete Food Safety System

This checklist works alongside your other food safety records:

• Fridge & Freezer Temperature Log – daily temperature recording for cold storage
• Thermometer Calibration Log – proving your thermometer readings are accurate
• BOH Daily Cleaning Schedule – structured daily cleaning for the kitchen
• FOH Daily Cleaning Schedule – structured daily cleaning for front of house

For a deeper understanding of the inspection process, read our guide on how to pass a food hygiene inspection.

Go Digital

Paper checklists get lost, damaged, and are difficult to search when you need them. With Forkto, your food safety records are digital, timestamped, and always ready for inspection. Temperature logs, cleaning schedules, training records, and audit trails – all in one place, accessible from any device.