Preparing for a food hygiene inspection in Northern Ireland: a checklist

Food safety officers from your council usually arrive without warning. The businesses that do well are the ones that are ready every day, not just on the day. Here's what officers look at, how ratings work in Northern Ireland and a checklist you can run through this week.

Updated 9 October 2026 · DeskKit Tools, Belfast

How food hygiene ratings work

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is run by the Food Standards Agency with local councils. After an inspection you get a rating from 5 (very good) to 0 (urgent improvement necessary). The officer scores three things:

1. How hygienically food is handled: preparation, cooking, reheating, cooling and storage.
2. The physical condition of the premises: cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and facilities such as hand washing.
3. How you manage food safety: your processes, training and records, which tell the officer how confident they can be that standards will be kept up.

To get a 5, you need to do well in all three. The third one is where many small businesses lose marks, often because the records are missing or incomplete, even when the kitchen itself is clean.

Displaying your rating is the law in NI

Under the Food Hygiene Rating Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, you must display your valid rating sticker at or near each customer entrance, where customers can easily see and read it before they come in. You must also tell customers your rating if they ask in person or by phone. Not displaying a valid sticker is an offence, and councils can issue a fixed penalty of £200 (reduced to £150 if paid within 14 days), as set out in the NI fixed penalty order.

Your food safety management system

Every food business must have food safety procedures based on HACCP principles. Most small caterers in Northern Ireland use the FSA's free Safe Catering pack, which takes you through the hazards in your business and gives you recording forms. If you use it, make sure it reflects what you actually do now: your current menu, suppliers and equipment, not the business as it was when you opened.

The inspection-ready checklist

Records

• Fridge and freezer temperatures logged every day, with corrective actions written down.
• Cooking, cooling and hot holding checks recorded where your plan says so.
• Delivery checks for chilled and frozen goods.
• Cleaning schedule signed off.
• Staff training records, including food hygiene certificates and induction.
• Allergen information for every dish, kept up to date when recipes or suppliers change.
• Pest control contract or your own checks, with any sightings and action recorded.

Kitchen and storage

• Raw and ready-to-eat foods kept apart, with raw meat stored below ready-to-eat food.
• Separate chopping boards and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat food, or a clear cleaning routine between uses.
• Food covered, labelled and within its use-by date. Opened tins decanted into covered containers.
• No food stored on the floor.
• A working probe thermometer and probe wipes.

Hand washing and cleaning

• A wash-hand basin with hot and cold running water, soap and paper towels, used only for hands.
• Cleaning chemicals suitable for food areas (check the label for the right standard and contact time).
• Surfaces, equipment and hard-to-reach areas clean, including behind and under equipment.

Premises

• Walls, floors and ceilings in good repair and easy to clean.
• No signs of pests, with gaps under doors and around pipes sealed.
• Good lighting and ventilation, and filters on the extraction cleaned.
• Bins emptied and the bin area kept clean.

People

• Staff wear clean clothing and tie hair back.
• A clear rule that staff report sickness and diarrhoea or vomiting, and stay off until 48 hours after symptoms stop.
• Everyone knows the allergen procedure and who to ask.

On the day

Be polite, give the officer access, and have your records ready to hand over. If they spot something, ask what they would like to see changed and write it down. Fixing small things there and then, such as moving raw meat below salad, shows the right attitude. You will be told your rating in writing at the visit or within 14 days.

If you're not happy with your rating

The FSA scheme gives you three safeguards: an appeal (in writing within 21 days of being told your rating), a right of reply that is published with your rating, and a re-rating inspection once you have fixed the issues. In Northern Ireland councils charge a fee for a re-rating visit, and you must be displaying your current sticker. Talk to the officer first so you understand exactly why you got the rating.

Staying inspection-ready is easier with a weekly routine. The Belfast Desk Kit weekly admin checklist includes signing off last week's logs and checking renewals, with a free printable Monday sheet.

General information for small businesses, not legal or professional advice. Rules change, so check the official sources linked above before you rely on them.