7 Steps to Protect Care Homes from Food Safety Failures

The health of care home residents is fragile. Poor food hygiene can risk lives, so what steps must care homes take to achieve outstanding safety?

Why is food safety so important in care homes?

Older people and those with disabilities or poor-health are more vulnerable to food poisoning due to weakened immune systems. This also makes recovery a slower process and there’s a greater risk of further complications.

There are three ways that foodborne illness can be passed to people: through living things, such as bacteria, viruses and parasites; through chemical contamination; and through foreign objects that appear in food, like hair or plastic.

The spread of viruses is of course a very topical issue at the time of writing. All care homes should by now have a plan for preventing and handling coronavirus. It is absolutely essential that your food safety management is included in this.

What food safety standards do care homes need to meet?

Like any other business that handles food, care homes must have a food safety management plan that’s based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). The HACCP helps you to identify food safety risks and to make sure you have procedures in place to reduce those risks.

When your care home has a quality inspection, the regulator will check that you’re managing food safety in line with HACCP. This affects the overall rating that your care home will be given. If inspectors think you’re not doing enough to protect people from foodborne illness then your care home could be put in to special measures or shut down.

What are the challenges facing care homes when it comes to food safety?

Around 17% of care homes in England have been rated ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission as of 2025. Food safety plays a crucial part in these inspections, so what are the unique challenges that care homes might struggle with?

Many care homes have self-contained apartments with their own mini kitchens. This makes it difficult for staff to know if foods are being stored properly or prepared in a hygienic way.

Food that’s brought on to the premises by visitors is also hard to track. They could contain allergens, have particular ‘use by’ dates or be contaminated in some way.

Finally, preparing and handling food in a care home can involve several members of staff, all with different roles. From simply making a cup of tea to helping a resident eat, there’s much more to think about than how the food is stored and cooked.

7 steps to prevent food safety failures in care homes

1. Perfect your infection control procedures

The obvious starting point is always worth repeating. It’s essential to have good infection control procedures throughout the home. These should include the isolation of infection and good personal hygiene. Norovirus policy that reinforces the 48 hour symptom free rule for food handlers and personal carers (no diarrhoea and vomiting) is of paramount importance here.

Please check with your local authority for live advice on handling the coronavirus.

2. Monitor visitor contributions

Visitors bringing food for family members should be strictly monitored. Care home staff should be checking the ‘use by’ dates of these items and be confident that they’ve been stored in the correct way, for example under temperature control.

Visitors should be encouraged to bring in items such as fruit, chocolate and biscuits which are low risk rather than hot food or fancy cakes. Any food brought into the care home should be stored at the appropriate temperature as soon as possible, ideally in a separate fridge, and always separate to medicines.

3. Add mini kitchens to cleaning schedules

Include mini-kitchens in the regular kitchen cleaning schedules. Hygiene levels should be checked and temperatures monitored in places where food is stored, like fridges and freezers. All areas should be cleaned before any food can be prepped there. It needs to be clear whose responsibility it is to identify and resolve any issues.

4. Provide regular food hygiene training

Food hygiene training for any care home staff that handle food is essential. Ideally, this should be extended to staff whose main responsibility is not food, but who might occasionally help at meal times.

All training should be adapted and delivered in a way that’s helpful to staff who may not be fluent in English.

5. Raise awareness among all staff

Due to their roles, there’s a risk of carers entering the food preparation area to collect equipment or do small tasks such as making a drink without following proper safety procedures. Carers must be aware that they should remove their professional over-clothing, thoroughly wash hands and wear protective gear if appropriate.

6. Store foods the right way

The risk of developing harmful bacteria like listeria can be avoided with good stock rotation and temperature monitoring. Food temperatures should be taken continuously, from the moment it arrives, through all stages of storage, to the point of serving. Fridges should ideally be operating under 5°C and food should not at any time be stored in the ‘danger zone’ between 8°C and 63°C. High risk foods include meats, pate, unpasteurized dairy products and leafy vegetables.

7. Cut out cross contamination

Control measures should also be in place for specific food preparation risks. These include the risk of cross contamination after handling raw meats or uncooked root vegetables foods. Clear separation of food prep areas and utensils and good handwashing techniques can prevent this.

Next steps: how to develop a water-tight food safety plan

If you manage a care home and are worried about food safety risks, now’s a good time to get expert advice. The environmental health team at Navitas already helps many care homes in the UK to keep their residents safe and well. We can run an independent audit of the food hygiene standards in your care home and then develop a robust safety management plan for you. Get in touch here.