Find food safety advice for childminders and check whether you need to register as a food business.
Food Hygiene Regulations
Food safety is very important to childminders, because children are a vulnerable group, which means they can be more seriously affected by food poisoning than adults.
Since 2006, many childminders have been covered by food hygiene regulations, and will also need to register as a ‘food business operator’ with the council. These regulations do not apply to all childminders – it depends whether you regularly provide snacks or meals for the children in your care.
Do You Need to Register?
If you only provide the following levels of food service as part of your normal business and no more, you should not be required to register as a food business operator:
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Provision of mains drinking water
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Provision of crockery and cutlery for use by children to eat their own packed lunches
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Provision of chilled storage for packed lunches that belong to the children
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Occasional assistance to children with cutting up their own food in response to individual need rather than as an established service
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Occasional provision of food that is not part of the normal service (e.g. a cake to celebrate a child’s birthday or provision of food where a parent/guardian has been delayed)
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Operating in the child's own home and serving food that belongs to the child's parent/guardian e.g. nannies or home childcarers.
What to Do If You Need to Register
If you do need to register as a food business in Eastbourne, please download and complete the registration form below and return it to us.
The council's food safety officers will take your domestic environment into consideration and will help you put in place practical and proportionate measures to ensure food safety. The advice leaflets below will give you practical hygiene tips about the risks you are likely to encounter.
Outside Eastbourne, please contact your local district or city council for food registration.
For childcare registration and general legal requirements for childminders, go to the Ofsted website. For support in East Sussex, contact the Early Years, Childcare and Extended Schools Service (EYCESS) on 01323 747419.
Keeping a Record of What You Do to Keep Food Safe
Childminders covered by the food hygiene regulations need to keep a record of what you do to keep food safe. The Food Standards Agency has produced a special pack Safer Food Better Business for Childminders, which enables you to do this with as little paperwork as possible:
You are at: www.eastbourne.gov.uk/childminders
