EHO commercial kitchen requirements: a layout checklist

Register first

Register your food business with your local authority at least 28 days before you start trading (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). It's free. In Scotland, register with your local authority's environmental health service at least 28 days before opening.

The layout checklist

From the food hygiene rules in Regulation 852/2004, Annex II:

• The layout lets you work hygienically and protects food from contamination between and during operations (Ch. I 2; Ch. II 1)
• Enough wash-hand basins, suitably located, used only for hands, with hot and cold water, soap and hygienic drying; food-washing sinks separate where needed (Ch. I 4)
• Toilets don't open directly into rooms where food is handled (Ch. I 3)
• Suitable ventilation, no airflow from dirty to clean areas, filters easy to reach (Ch. I 5)
• Adequate lighting (Ch. I 7) and drainage that doesn't flow from dirty to clean areas (Ch. I 8)
• Changing facilities for staff where needed (Ch. I 9)
• Cleaning chemicals not stored where food is handled (Ch. I 10)
• Floors and walls sound, easy to clean and disinfect; floors drain where appropriate (Ch. II 1(a)-(b))
• Windows that open have removable insect screens where needed (Ch. II 1(d))
• Temperature-controlled storage with enough capacity, with temperatures you can monitor (Ch. I 2(d))
• Food waste in closable containers; bin stores that stay clean and pest-free (Ch. VI)

Also check

• Ventilation and gas: HSE says you need a canopy over every appliance producing fumes and heat, replacement air, and an interlock between extraction and the gas supply where the extraction serves as a flue. See the UK extraction guide.
• Fire: the Responsible Person must do a fire risk assessment (Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales; Fire (Scotland) Act 2005; Fire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006).
• Grease: in England and Wales, Building Regulations guidance says kitchen drainage in commercial hot-food premises should have a grease separator or other effective means of grease removal (Approved Document H, 2.21).
• Hygiene rating: displaying your rating sticker is the law in Wales and Northern Ireland, and voluntary in England. Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme.

What the law doesn't say

There's no legal distance from prep to a hand-wash basin, no legal aisle width and no legal lux level in these rules. Treat any number you see as a recommendation and agree it with your EHO.