We only undertake professional development that is recognised by government and is relevant for our educational setting.

The Register of Regulated Qualifications provides details of training that is recognised in our profession.

All staff hold the following qualifications:

• Level 2 Food Hygiene
• Level 2 Award in Nutrition and Food Safety for Children and Young People
• Level 2 Allergen Awareness

Food Business Registration

We are registered with North Warwickshire Borough Council as a Food Business.  

Our UFBR is: NSWS0X-10WL18-SD7VFB

This means that North Warwickshire Borough Council can make inspections of our kitchen, staff training records and food preparation processes.

Our Food Hygiene Rating is 5 - VERY GOOD (20 June 2023).

Food Standards Agency

We follow the FSA guidance relating to food safety management procedures and food hygiene regulations for small businesses.

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/safer-food-better-business-sfbb

We also follow the FSA guidance relating to allergens.

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses

Food Safety

We have lots of policies and procedures to keep your child safe and your child's food safe whilst they are in our care.  We are committed to ensuring that safe and healthy practices around the storage, preparation and service of food are maintained at all times.  This includes maintaining a record of all children with allergies and maintaining our 5 Star Food Safety Rating.

Babies and young children’s immune systems are not as strong and developed as adults’ which means they are more vulnerable to infections which can lead to food poisoning. It is important to take extra care with hygiene and preparing food safely. (Ofsted, 2023)

Our key procedures are set out across several policies including:

• Food Safety and Allergens Policy
• Diet and Nutrition Policy
• Norovirus Policy
• Infection control Policy
• Child Sickness Policy

At all times, we are minimising the growth of bacteria that is invisible to the naked eye, so you cannot physically remove them from items of food.  However, their numbers can be controlled using two methods:

• Bacteria can be reduced and destroyed by cooking or reheating certain foods.
• Bacterial growth can be controlled by refrigerating or keeping food warm.

We are subject to unannounced visits by the Warwickshire County Council Environmental Health Department Officers who carry out Food Safety Inspections.  We also carry out Food Safety Audits every three (3) months to ensure that our kitchen and food preparations are operating at a high standard.  We have a Food Safety Risk Assessment to enable hazards and risk mitigation strategies to be documented.

We have a limited kitchen service available that includes the storage of lunch boxes, the making of breakfast, sandwich lunches and the preparation of food that can be pre-heated.

We store food as required by our food safety registration, which includes:

• Storing food off the floor.
• Storing food to the use by date.
• Labelling opened food and consuming within three (3) days.
• Removing food that is out of date.
• Checking food for any changes before consuming.

We re-heat food as instructed on the label by heating to 75 degrees and then allowing to cool before serving.  We record information of any food that has been re-heated.  Use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of food.  We keep hot food at 63ºC and throw it away after two hours if it’s not consumed.  We do not reheat food more than once; this helps bacteria to multiply to dangerous levels.

When reheating food using a microwave, follow the manufacturers’ instructions and ensure the food has no cold spots.

Food handlers are also:

• Washing hands with anti-bacterial soap and hot water before and after handling food, using the toilet or changing nappies.
• Using clean, disposable cloths.
• Avoid being involved in food preparation if they are unwell.
• Wearing correct protective equipment - blue apron, blue gloves, blue plasters.
• Making sure all fruit and vegetables are washed before being served.

Lunch Boxes

Snacks, lunch and dinner should be sent in with each child in a suitable container and lunch box for safe storage of their food items.

We check lunch boxes for tins, so that these can be removed before storing in the fridge.

We ask for a cool pack to placed inside the lunch boxes so that lunch boxes can be stored in a cool place rather than within the fridge, when necessary.

Water Bottles

Water bottles should be sent in with each child containing water.  

We request that sugar based cordial is avoided due to both causing oral health problems and bacteria to form.

Water bottles should be regularly washed in warm soapy water.

Any concerns over bacteria developing within water bottles will be raised directly at drop-off or pick-up.

Allergens

Allergens can cause people's immune systems to react abnormally.  It is essential to know how to prevent allergic reactions and how to help someone who has one. 

There are 14 common allergens that are of serious concern. 

• Celery
• Crustaceans
• Lupin
• Milk
• Fish
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Molluscs
• Soybeans
• Mustard
• Nuts
• Seseme
• Cereals
• Sulphur Dioxide

To help us manage the risks associated with food allergies we ensure there is a risk assessment in place to cover all required hazards.  We aak families to provide health and medical information at the point of registration.  This requires the declaration of any allergies. 

We do not permit any nuts within the setting.  Please do not send your child to the setting with any nut-based food products.  If found, these will be removed from your child's bag.

We avoid any storage, preparation or reheating raw food items.  The only exception is scrambled eggs.

We check all food items prepared in our kitchen by reading the labels for allergens and checking them against the allergen information provided by each family.  Allergen information is kept about any food items provided and families can request a copy at all times.

Where necessary, we avoid cross-contamination by providing all children with the same food or messy play that do not contain allergens.  This also enables greater inclusion of children with allergies.

We will always call 999 where a child or adult is suspected of having an allergic reaction.

If an Epi-Pen is available and we have permission to use this, a trained member of staff will administer this.

Cleaning

Cleaning of the kitchen takes place throughout the day including before and after food preparation.  A full clean of all kitchen areas (incl. floors and surfaces) takes place every evening.  Warm soapy water and anti-bacterial cleaner is used.

Every day the fridge is cleaned and all items in the fridge are checked for freshness, and all food past their use by or best before date are correctly disposed of.

• Shelves, drawers and walls are cleaned with warm soapy water.
• The seals around the fridge are cleaned to ensure no spillages.
• Freezers are defrosted (on non-frost-free) and cleaned once every three months following the same procedure.

All food preparation surfaces are wiped clean after use with anti-bacterial cleaner and disposable wipes.

All chopping boards are cleaned after use with warm soapy water and then thoroughly rinsed.

The manager will ensure that appropriate controls are in place to prevent cross contamination and that these controls are documented accordingly.

Children will be asked to wash their hands before and after handling food.  If children pick their own food, they will wash their hands before and after.  The food will be washed throughly.

Under 2s Feeding Safety

• A baby should be supervised eating at all times.
• A baby should be sitting up whilst eating.
• Do not hurry the child when eating—allow plenty of time for meals.
• Only put a small amount of food on the tray at a time.
• Fruit (incl. apples and grapes), vegetables and sausages should be sliced to avoid choking on round chunks.

Tragically, a child dies in the UK every month from choking and hundreds more require hospital treatment. It can happen quickly and it can happen to anyone. (Ofsted,2023)

• Cylindrical foods should be to cut lengthwise. 
• Avoid stringy foods like string beans and celery.
• Avoid commercial white bread products — they can form pasty globs in your baby’s mouth.
• Cut meat and poultry across the grain, and into tiny fingertip-sized pieces.
• Food pieces should be no larger than one-half inch in any direction. If in doubt, cut food into smaller pieces.

Incident Reporting

As an Ofsted-registered provider, we are expected to report significant events affecting our childcare within 14 days including food poisoning of two (2) children.

Dated: 12 September 2024 Review date: December 2025