EHO Inspection Checklist 2026: How to Get 5 Stars

Last updated: August 2026

To pass an EHO inspection and get a 5-star rating you need to score well in three areas: food hygiene and safety procedures, structural compliance, and confidence in management. Most venues lose their fifth star on the third one, because they do the right things but cannot show the records that prove it. Inspections are unannounced, and how often you get one depends on your current rating: every 6 months at 0-2, every 12 months at 3, and every 18-24 months at 4-5.

The stakes behind that scoring: the FSA estimates there are 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness in the UK each year, causing 16,400 hospitalisations, 180 deaths and around £10.4bn in societal cost (Food Standards Agency).

Environmental Health Officers turn up unannounced, clipboard in hand, and within 5 minutes they've already formed an opinion about your venue. Not from your paperwork, from what they see when they walk through the door.

The venues that pass with a 5 aren't the ones that panic-clean the night before, because there is no "night before". They're the ones where compliance is how they work, every day. Here's the full 47-point checklist they're working from.

What EHOs Check (And What They Look at First)

An EHO inspection covers three areas, each scored separately under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme:

1. Food hygiene and safety procedures - how you handle, prepare, cook, store, and cool food. This includes your allergen management, cross-contamination controls, and whether your team follows the processes you've documented.

2. Structural compliance - the physical condition of your premises. Cleanliness, ventilation, lighting, pest-proofing, and whether your equipment is in good nick.

3. Confidence in management - this is the one most venues underestimate. It's not only about having a food safety management system - it's about demonstrating that you understand it, your staff understand it, and it's being used. Paper folders gathering dust in the office don't score well here.

The combined score across these three areas determines your food hygiene rating from 0 (urgent improvement needed) to 5 (very good).

What They Notice in the First 5 Minutes

Before they even open your records, an EHO forms impressions from:

• Is the entrance clean and well-maintained?
• Does the kitchen smell right?
• Are staff wearing clean uniforms and visibly washing hands?
• Is food stored off the floor and properly labelled?
• Are fridges at the right temperature (visible probe readings)?
• Is there a clear separation between raw and cooked food?

First impressions carry weight. A dirty entrance and cluttered kitchen put you on the back foot before the formal inspection even begins.

The 47-Point EHO Inspection Checklist

Temperature Controls (10 points)

1. Fridges operating at 5°C or below
2. Freezers at -18°C or below
3. Hot-hold food maintained above 63°C
4. Temperature logs completed daily (fridge, freezer, hot hold)
5. Probe thermometer available, clean, and calibrated
6. Probe calibration records up to date
7. Cooling records for food brought from 63°C to below 8°C within 90 minutes
8. Delivery temperature checks documented
9. No temperature abuse - food not left at room temperature unnecessarily
10. Defrost procedures followed correctly (fridge, not countertop)

Food Handling & Storage (10 points)

11. Raw and cooked food stored separately (raw below cooked)
12. All food in sealed, labelled containers with use-by dates
13. Date labelling system in place (day dots or labels)
14. FIFO (first in, first out) stock rotation followed
15. No out-of-date food anywhere on premises
16. Allergen information documented for every dish
17. Allergen matrix visible and up to date
18. Cross-contamination controls between allergen groups
19. Separate chopping boards/utensils for raw meat, dairy, vegetables
20. Food prep areas cleaned between different food types

Cleaning & Hygiene (10 points)

21. Documented cleaning schedule covering all areas
22. Cleaning schedule being followed (not only posted)
23. Cleaning chemicals stored away from food
24. COSHH data sheets available for all chemicals
25. Hand wash basins stocked (soap, paper towels, hot water)
26. Hand washing signage visible
27. Staff observed washing hands at appropriate times
28. Kitchen equipment clean and in good working order
29. No evidence of grease build-up on extraction systems
30. Waste bins clean, lined, and emptied regularly

Structural Compliance (9 points)

31. Floors, walls, and ceilings in good condition (no cracks, peeling paint, or broken tiles)
32. Adequate ventilation throughout kitchen
33. Sufficient lighting in all food preparation areas
34. Pest-proofing in place (door sweeps, mesh screens, sealed gaps)
35. No evidence of pest activity (droppings, gnaw marks, dead insects)
36. Pest control contract in place with documented visits
37. Wash basins adequate and accessible
38. Staff changing facilities clean and separate from food areas
39. Toilet facilities clean with hand washing provisions

Documentation & Management (8 points)

40. Food safety management system in place (Safer Food Better Business or equivalent)
41. HACCP plan documented and followed
42. Staff food safety training records on file
43. Training certificates current (Level 2 minimum for food handlers)
44. Supplier records and traceability documentation available
45. Previous inspection reports and corrective actions documented
46. Opening and closing checklists completed daily
47. Food safety management system reviewed and updated regularly

The Three Areas That Trip Up Good Venues

1. "We Do It, We Don't Record It"

This is the number one reason venues score 4 instead of 5 on "confidence in management." You might run a spotless kitchen, but if you can't show the EHO evidence of your temperature checks, cleaning schedules, and training records, they can't give you credit for it.

The fix is simple: build recording into your daily workflow so it's not an extra task. Whether that's a digital system or a paper folder, the records need to be completed consistently and available at a moment's notice.

2. Probe Calibration (The One Everyone Forgets)

Your probe thermometer is only as reliable as its last calibration check. EHOs will ask about this, and "we check it sometimes" won't cut it. You should be calibrating weekly at minimum - using the ice water method (0°C) and boiling water method (100°C) and logging the results.

3. The Allergen Blindspot

Since Natasha's Law, allergen management has become a major focus area. It's not enough to have an allergen matrix pinned to the wall - your staff need to know how to use it, where to find ingredient information for every dish, and what the procedure is when a customer asks about allergens during a busy service.

The EHO might ask a random team member an allergen question. If they freeze or say "I'd have to check with the chef," that's a problem.

How to Go From a 4 to a 5 (Or Recover From Lower)

The difference between a 4 and a 5 is usually "confidence in management." Here's what pushes you over the line:

Show a system, not a folder. A living food safety management system that staff use daily demonstrates real compliance. A dusty SFBB pack shoved behind the till doesn't.

Train your team to explain it. If an EHO asks any team member "what would you do if the fridge temperature was above 8°C?" - they should know the answer without hesitating.

Be proactive about improvements. If you identified an issue and fixed it before the inspection, say so. Documenting corrective actions shows the EHO you're on top of things.

Keep digital records accessible. Paper logs get lost, get grease-stained, and get forgotten. Venues using digital compliance systems can pull up any record in seconds, which makes a strong impression during an inspection.

If Your Rating Dropped

Don't panic. You have the right to request a re-inspection once you've addressed the issues. For the full process, see what happens if you fail an EHO inspection. Here's a realistic timeline:

• Week 1-2: Address all issues flagged in the inspection report
• Week 3-4: Implement new systems and train staff
• Week 5-6: Run your new systems consistently, building a track record
• Week 7-8: Request a re-inspection when you're confident everything is embedded

The key word is "embedded." Don't rush the re-inspection - you want evidence of sustained improvement, not a one-day clean up.

Frequency: How Often Will They Visit?

Your inspection frequency is based on your risk category:

• High risk (Rating 0-2): Inspected every 6 months
• Medium risk (Rating 3): Inspected every 12 months
• Low risk (Rating 4-5): Inspected every 18-24 months

Venues that consistently score 5 get inspected less often - which means less disruption and more confidence from your customers.

The Real Secret: Make Compliance Part of the Daily Routine

Venues that consistently score 5 have one thing in common - they don't "prepare" for inspections because compliance isn't a special event. It's how they work.

That means:

• Temperature checks happen at the same time every day, whether or not there's an inspection due
• Cleaning schedules are completed and signed off, not only posted
• Every team member knows the allergen procedure, not only the head chef
• Records are accessible in under 30 seconds, not buried in a filing cabinet

The difference between scrambling before an inspection and being permanently inspection-ready usually comes down to one thing: whether compliance is built into your daily workflow or bolted on as an afterthought.

What Venues Use to Keep These Records

The records above can be kept on paper, on a spreadsheet, or in a compliance app. All three are legal. What separates them is how fast you can produce a specific record when an inspector asks for it, and whether a gap is visible before the inspection rather than during it.

Paper works for a single site with a stable team, and plenty of venues hold a 5 on paper. It struggles when you run more than one site, because there is no way to see from head office whether yesterday's checks were actually done.

Aquaint is a mobile-first compliance app used by more than 100 UK hospitality brands. It records temperature, cleaning and opening/closing checks against a schedule, timestamps each one to the person who completed it, logs corrective action automatically when a reading falls out of range, and exports the lot as an EHO-ready report. Pricing starts at £60 per site per month on the pricing page.

Whichever route you take, the test is the same one an inspector applies: can you produce three months of temperature logs, with dates and names against them, in under a minute?

Ready to Be Inspection-Ready Every Day?

Book a free demo of Aquaint and see how 100+ hospitality brands stay inspection-ready without the paperwork.

FAQs

How often do EHO inspections happen?
It depends on your rating. High-risk venues (0-2) get inspected every 6 months, medium risk (3) every 12 months, and low risk (4-5) every 18-24 months.

What records do I need for an EHO inspection?
Temperature logs for fridges, freezers and hot holding, probe calibration records, cleaning schedules with sign-offs, your HACCP or SFBB food safety management system, staff training certificates, supplier and traceability records, allergen information for every dish, and any corrective actions from previous inspections. Each record needs a date and the name of whoever completed it.

Can I request a re-inspection?
Yes. Once you've addressed the issues from your last inspection and have evidence of sustained improvement, you can request a re-inspection through your local authority. See what happens if you fail an EHO inspection for the full timeline.

What's the most common reason for scoring 4 instead of 5?
"Confidence in management" - usually because records aren't consistently completed or staff can't explain the food safety procedures when asked.

Do I need a HACCP plan for a small café?
Yes. Every food business needs a documented HACCP-based food safety management system, regardless of size. The Safer Food Better Business pack is designed for smaller businesses.

What temperature should my fridge be for an EHO inspection?
5°C or below. The legal maximum is 8°C, but best practice is 5°C. See our full UK food safety temperatures guide.

Does Martyn's Law affect my EHO inspection?
Not directly - Martyn's Law is enforced by the SIA, not EHOs. But venues with strong overall compliance systems tend to handle both frameworks more effectively.

What should I do if an EHO finds a problem during inspection?
Don't argue. Acknowledge the issue, ask for specific guidance on what they expect, and document your corrective action immediately. This demonstrates good management.

Related reading

• What Happens If You Fail an EHO Inspection?
• UK Food Safety Temperatures: The FSA Chart + Checklist
• HACCP Plan Template for UK Hospitality (Free PDF)
• 14 UK Allergens: The Hospitality Team's Guide
• Martyn's Law for Hospitality: What Changes in 2026
• The Compliance Reporting Checklist Every Hospitality Venue Needs
• What to Include in a RIDDOR Report