A note on this document: This policy is written in plain UK English wherever possible. If any term is unclear, please contact the office and we will explain in person, by telephone or in an Easy Read format. This page can be enlarged, made dyslexia-friendly, read aloud, or printed/saved as a PDF using the toolbar above.
1. Scope
This policy applies to all activity of Suffolk Sensory Kitchen on its registered premises, on outreach visits to commissioning schools, and on community masterclass evenings, regardless of venue. It applies to staff, students, volunteers, visitors and contractors.
2. Legal framework
The Provision operates a food premises and is registered with the relevant district environmental health authority. Our operation is governed by, among other instruments:
- The Food Safety Act 1990.
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, as retained in UK law.
- The Food Information Regulations 2014.
- The Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019 - “Natasha’s Law”.
- The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006.
- The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
- The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
- FSA Safer Food, Better Business - Catering pack.
Our most recent Food Hygiene Rating is [REQUIRES USER INPUT: most recent FHRS score], awarded by [REQUIRES USER INPUT: name of district environmental health authority], displayed at the entrance to the Provision.
3. Responsibilities
The Board of Directors holds overall accountability for health, safety and food safety. The Director with operational responsibility for food safety is Selina Finch, who holds Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering or equivalent. The DSL holds Level 3 Safeguarding. All staff who handle food hold, as a minimum, a Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene certificate, refreshed every three years. Designated First Aiders hold current Paediatric First Aid or HSE-approved First Aid at Work certification. The certification register is held with the Single Central Record.
4. Allergen management - Natasha’s Law
Suffolk Sensory Kitchen is operationally aware of, and operates to, the requirements of Natasha’s Law and the wider 14 named allergens framework. The 14 allergens we declare and manage are:
- Celery
- Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut and their hybridised strains)
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin
- Milk
- Molluscs
- Mustard
- Tree nuts (including almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan, Brazil, pistachio, macadamia, queensland)
- Peanuts
- Sesame seeds
- Soybeans
- Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (above 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/L)
For every student, on or before the first day of placement, we obtain in writing from the parent or carer with parental responsibility a completed Allergen and Dietary Information form. The form is verified against information held by the home school and, where applicable, with the relevant clinical team. The information is held on the Pupil Profile and is read by the session lead at the start of every session.
For every dish prepared on premises and intended to leave the premises (including Friday family-cook take-home meals), the dish is labelled with the name of the food, the full ingredient list, and clear emphasis of any of the 14 named allergens present, in line with Natasha’s Law. Labelling is produced on a dedicated printer at the time of packing.
5. Cross-contamination control
Cross-contamination is managed through:
- Colour-coded chopping boards, knives and tongs (red - raw meat; blue - raw fish; yellow - cooked meat; green - vegetables and salad; brown - vegetables; white - bakery and dairy).
- Separated preparation stations for any session involving a student with a serious allergy.
- A dedicated nut-free policy: tree nuts and peanuts are not held on the premises and not used in any recipe. Recipes are adapted accordingly.
- Hand-washing protocols at every change of task, displayed at every sink.
- Clear separation in storage of raw and ready-to-eat foods, with raw items always on the bottom shelf in the chiller.
- A daily deep-clean schedule and a weekly equipment-level deep-clean schedule, both recorded.
6. HACCP & food safety management
The Provision operates a documented HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) plan based on the FSA Safer Food, Better Business catering pack. The plan identifies critical control points at receipt, storage, preparation, cooking, cooling and service. Records include daily fridge / freezer temperatures, cooking temperature checks for high-risk foods, weekly probe calibration, and a rolling log of any deviation and the corrective action taken.
7. Cleaning, disinfection & temperature
All cleaning chemicals are stored in a locked cupboard in the staff-only area and used in line with their COSHH data sheets. Chilled storage is held at or below 5°C. Frozen storage is held at or below -18°C. Reheated foods are reheated to a core temperature of at least 75°C, with a calibrated probe used to verify. Hot-holding is at or above 63°C. Cooling is rapid - chilled within 90 minutes of cooking.
8. Risk assessment & dynamic kitchen risk
Suffolk Sensory Kitchen holds a documented general risk assessment, reviewed annually and after any significant incident, covering the kitchen environment, electrical equipment, gas equipment, manual handling, slips and trips, lone working, fire, and emergency egress. Specific dynamic risk assessment for sharp, hot and electrical equipment is set out in SSK-POL-02 Safeguarding, section 7.
9. First aid & medical emergencies
The Provision holds a first aid kit appropriate to a non-domestic kitchen with under-18s on site, stored in a clearly signed location accessible to all staff but not to students. A burns kit is held adjacent to the hob, including hydrogel dressings. A second kit is held at the entrance for incoming visitors and for use outside the kitchen. All accidents and near-misses are recorded in the Accident Book; RIDDOR-reportable incidents are reported within statutory timescales.
10. Anaphylaxis & adrenaline auto-injectors
Where a young person on placement has a known anaphylaxis risk, we will, in advance:
- Hold a copy of their personal allergen action plan, signed by their treating clinician or family GP.
- Require two named auto-injectors (e.g. EpiPen, Jext) to be brought to every session and held in a labelled, unlocked but secured location known to all staff.
- Hold a generic “spare” adrenaline auto-injector on site in line with current Human Medicines Regulations spare pen provisions, where applicable.
- Train all session staff annually in recognition and management of anaphylaxis, including dialling 999 simultaneously with administration of the auto-injector.
- Run a documented walk-through with the parent or carer before placement begins.
11. Fire safety
Fire risk assessment is reviewed annually by a competent person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The Provision holds appropriate-class fire extinguishers (including a fire blanket and a wet chemical extinguisher for the cooking zone), a fire alarm system tested weekly and serviced annually, illuminated emergency egress signage, and a documented evacuation plan. A fire drill is held at least once per term, more often where new students or visitors require familiarisation. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) are written for any student with mobility, sensory or psychological needs that require adaptation of the standard evacuation procedure.
12. Review
This policy is reviewed annually by the Board, on advice from the operationally responsible Director, and immediately following any change to the statutory framework or any serious incident on premises.
Editing this policy: The full text of every policy lives in /app/policies/*/page.tsx and supporting copy lives in /content. The named author and approving director should re-date the document at every review.