A few weeks ago, a local pub where I sell some of my surlpus chutne, jam and marmalades, had a visit from the local Environmental Health Officer. During their inspection they noticed some of my jars on sale and asked the publican to contact me and ask me to get in touch with them.
I phoned them the following day and explained the scale of my hoby, on average about 3Kg produced per week. Their opinion was that I should still register the place of production, my home, as a food production site. They sent some further information through the post with some useful websites to explain the process, standards required etc.
So, after a week os deep cleaning, resealing the work-surface and wall tiles, removing all wooden implements and boards, preparing Production Flow Charts, cleaning schedules, traceability systems,new label designs with ingredients, allergen warnings Best Before dates and production site details, I thought I was ready for yesterdays inspection.
I spent the morning re-cleaning the floor, work surfaces, fridge and cupboards, re-checked the fridge and cupboards for any out of date ingredients and at 4 o'clock the EHO duly arrived. One hour laterr............. I passed!!
With a 5* hygiene score!!!!!
So you had to do all that for an inspection. What was it like before! You are lucky you didn't poison anybody.
Well done to the result. However the products may not tatse the same without the extras???
:icon_cheers: Well done!
Yes..there is jungle of rules and regulations out there to follow..'cottage industry' is not that simple anymore.
It is more and less same if I sell honey. By keeping it very small scale you don't have to go through all that but then you are limited how much you can sell for public before you get court to EH radar.
You can now spread your wings further afield :icon_cheers:.
So, Ace, do you have written procedures for your cleaning and cooking procedures for your home kitchen?
I think you have totally missed the point that this has been a purely bureaucratic proceedure of documentation and tracability.
Tomatoada, there are no extras, guaranteed horsemeat free.
Goodlife and grannyjanny, thank you for your positive comments.
Quote from: Pescador on March 08, 2013, 18:45:31
So, Ace, do you have written procedures for your cleaning and cooking procedures for your home kitchen?
Why should I, I am not using my filthy kitchen to make food for sale. How long was it until you reverted to your old ways after the inspection.
Point totally missed.
I thought you were intelligent and witty, most of you posts pointed that way.
Clearly you are biggoted, pre-judgemental, self opinionated and ignorant.
I hope you are plagued by Nissan Micras for the rest of you life.
Now you have given me a piece of your mind, I hope you havn't left yourself short.
Well done, Pescador. All your hard work paid off :happy7:
Thank you Manicscousers,
Any new recipes, dubious ingredients, bad practices, I can always sell in certain specific coastal areas of the UK to see if they're really dangerous.
2 days off next week, rhubarb is ready for first harvest, so here we go!
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I would be interested in wether they asked about your bottling method Pescador, if you do not mind.
Having been "updated" by Jeannine and the American methods of pressure sealing (I was sceptical at first but now always bottle under pressure and not had any mould since then :icon_cheers: ) anyway today I was looking at Delia online and she is still advocating the wax seals. I was rather surprised.
Thanks for the information, this was something I had thought about as a small income supplement for retirement, and I remember reading/ hearing about you having to move all cleaning equipment out of the kitchen! As someone who once found a dehydrated/ mumified lump of dog poo by the back door I may have to think again :toothy10: .
Well done for passing Pescador.
I have been making and selling preserves and cakes at various locations from 2010.
Before I started, I read and took advice about how to start.
The environmental health officer in my area was amazingly helpful and gave me good support and encouragement.
If you get in contact with them before you start they are very good at advice.
You may be able to sell your products for a while without registering your kitchen, but they will catch up with you eventually.
The environmental health officers are going to inspect all businesses selling food and drink to the public and regularly do the rounds at festivals and car boot sales. So they will find you in the end.
If anyone is thinking of making and selling preserves, I have a PDF file listing what you need to do. It isn't difficult, and once set up it runs itself. :sunny:
I regularly sell cakes, savouries, lemon curd,etc at our local Country Markets (formally W.I. Markets) and I'm just about to renew my Food Hygiene Certificate by doing a days course. Certificate awarded if you pass - no more food production if you don't!! It's run by EHO's. Have they suggested you do this course Pescador?
Thank you Yorkshire Lass and Mrs Tweedy.
My time in the food growing and packing industry have given me the qualifications, but this was a fascinating and challenging move into the small scale domestic production world.
Now, I must go and turf the pigs out of the kitchen and put new straw down for tomorrows production run!!
Oh, wow. You have pigs :blob7:
We only have 11 hens. I keep suggesting to OH that we might be able to fit a pig in the garden too, but he is having none of it.
I love the feedback I get from my customers about my preserves and cakes.
Good luck with your endeavours.
Hi, yes good luck from me too.
There are regulations here too and yes they do include jars and ways of sealing them.
I think there is a big area out there for small home based businesses making special preserves and sadly there are some that shouldn't be. I know someone who makes and sells beef jerky which really freaks me. IT it is good to see folks happy about the regulations and the fact that the officials are helpful and supportive.
When we find the acreage we are currently looking this is one of the things that I shall be doing again, here though we have to have a separate kitchen from our home one.
Good luck with your endeavors
XX Jeannine