Premises hygiene, cleansing and pest control
What the domain tests
This domain tests whether you can keep a food premises clean, pest-free and physically suitable for food handling. It covers design and construction, cleaning schedules, sanitation chemicals, waste handling and integrated pest management. FEHD inspects these points at licensing and during routine enforcement under the Food Business Regulation (Cap 132X).
Core rules and concepts
- Food rooms should have washable, impervious, non-toxic surfaces; floors with coving; smooth, cleanable walls; adequate lighting and ventilation; and drainage with traps. Handwash basins need soap and disposable towels, and must not be used for food preparation.
- Separate food rooms from toilets, refuse storage and sleeping areas. Doors and windows should be pest-proofed, with self-closing doors, fly screens and no unnecessary gaps. Deliveries should be checked at the receiving area before goods enter storage.
- Cleaning is a two-stage process: remove grease and debris with detergent, then sanitise food-contact surfaces with a food-safe sanitiser or 1:99 diluted household bleach (about 500 ppm available chlorine). For vomit or faecal contamination, use 1:49 dilution (about 1,000 ppm). Follow the contact time on the label.
- Use a written cleaning schedule that states what is cleaned, frequency, chemical dilution, method and responsible person. Clean as you go, and keep cleaning chemicals in a separate labelled store away from food.
- Pest control should follow integrated pest management: proof the building, remove food and water, eliminate harbourage, monitor with traps and bait stations, and record findings. Pesticides must be approved and used so they cannot contaminate food or food-contact surfaces.
Worked example
Staff see cockroaches in a dry store. Cardboard cartons are stacked against a damp wall and a sack of flour is open. The correct response is not to spray insecticide over the shelves. Remove the cardboard, seal cracks and voids, clean the area, store flour in sealed containers off the floor, apply gel bait in harbourage points, set monitoring traps and record the activity. Review deliveries and the cleaning schedule. Repeat treatment and monitoring until activity stops.
Traps that cost marks
- Cleaning only visible surfaces and ignoring drains, door handles and probe wipes.
- Storing food on the floor or against walls.
- Blocking drains or removing drain traps.
- Spraying pesticide near open food or food-contact surfaces.
- Keeping pest-control records that show activity but no follow-up action.