The FHO Who Also Cooks
A medium-sized zi char restaurant has one Food Hygiene Officer, Mr Lim, who is also the head chef and works the busiest wok station six days a week. The restaurant serves about 200 covers a day. Mr Lim holds a valid FHO certificate. Last month the restaurant had two separate complaints of undercooked chicken and one of a foreign object in a dish. The licensee, Madam Ho, says 'Mr Lim is my FHO, so we are covered'. An SFA officer reviewing the complaints asks how the FHO's duties are being discharged, and whether the FHO role is compatible with full-time cooking.
1. Is it acceptable for Mr Lim to be both FHO and full-time wok chef? What are the FHO's core duties, and how is this arrangement failing them?
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It is not prohibited for the FHO to also cook, but the arrangement is failing the FHO's duties.
FHO core duties include:
- Implementing and monitoring the Food Safety Management System (FSMS).
- Conducting regular inspections/checks of the premises and practices.
- Training and supervising food handlers.
- Record keeping (temperature logs, cleaning schedules, corrective actions).
- Investigating complaints and taking corrective action.
- Liaising with SFA and ensuring compliance.
Why this arrangement fails:
- A person working the busiest wok station six days a week cannot simultaneously monitor 200 covers, supervise handlers, and keep records.
- Two undercooked-chicken complaints plus a foreign-object complaint in one month are symptoms of monitoring not happening - no one is checking cooking temperatures or plating controls.
- 'We have an FHO' is not a defence if the FHO's duties are not actually discharged.
Conclusion: the role is not inherently incompatible, but the workload makes proper discharge impossible. The FHO needs protected time and authority, or a separate person should be appointed.
2. What should Madam Ho do to make the FHO role effective, and what evidence would the SFA officer expect to see?
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Actions for Madam Ho:
- Ring-fence FHO time - e.g. a fixed daily check window and weekly documented inspection, not 'when I get a chance'.
- Consider appointing a second/assistant FHO or a dedicated supervisor so cover exists on Mr Lim's off days.
- Ensure the FHO has authority to stop unsafe practices (e.g. reject undercooked chicken, halt service).
- Retrain handlers on cooking temperatures and foreign-object controls.
- Investigate the three complaints with root cause and corrective action recorded.
Evidence the officer would expect:
- Dated inspection/check records signed by the FHO.
- Temperature logs for cooking and holding.
- Training records for all handlers.
- Complaint investigation records with corrective actions.
- A FSMS document showing who does what and when.
If none of this exists, the officer will conclude the FHO is a name on the licence, not a functioning control.