PREVRA Health Inspection Checklist: Be Ready When the EHO Walks Through the Door
A practical, room-by-room inspection checklist based on the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme criteria. Designed to help UK food businesses achieve and maintain a 5 rating.
Why a single health inspection defines your reputation for years
Your Food Hygiene Rating is displayed publicly on the FSA website and increasingly on delivery platforms like Deliveroo and Just Eat. A rating of 0-2 can make your insurance unaffordable and your business unsellable. A rating of 3 is the most dangerous — it is technically 'satisfactory' but tells customers your kitchen is only just good enough.
Here is a fact most operators do not realise: you can request a re-inspection after making improvements, but you have to wait at least three months. And there is a fee of around £150-£200 depending on your local authority. Getting it right first time is vastly cheaper, faster, and better for your reputation.
Using this checklist to maintain permanent inspection readiness
Do not use this checklist the day before you think an EHO might visit. Use it weekly. Work through each zone of your kitchen: dry stores, cold stores, prep areas, cooking areas, wash-up, staff facilities, and front of house. Every item is something an EHO checks and scores.
Pay particular attention to the 'confidence in management' section. If your SFBB folder is a mess of loose papers with gaps in recording, you will lose points regardless of how clean the kitchen looks. Digital SFBB removes this risk: your records are always complete, always organised, and the EHO can see your entire food safety history in one place.
Understanding the three scoring categories
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme scores you in three areas. Hygiene practices (handwashing, cross-contamination, temperature control, cleaning). Structural compliance (condition of floors, walls, ceilings, ventilation, lighting, drainage, and facilities). Confidence in management (SFBB system, training records, track record of compliance). Your overall rating is derived from the individual scores, but the system does not average them — a single poor score typically drags the overall rating down.
Prevra · Early access
Prevra is building a digital SFBB app.
The app is not ready yet. See the planned features and contact us about early access.
See planned features