The good news first: the vast majority of FSAI inspections in Ireland are unannounced, but the things they check are completely predictable. A business that runs its HACCP system every day - not just before a visit - passes comfortably. This is the checklist Environmental Health Officers actually use.
Before the EHO arrives
Walk the kitchen with the eyes of a stranger. Look for the items below first because they are visible from the door.
- Hand-wash basin clear of obstacles, with soap, hot water and paper towels.
- Fridges and chillers visibly under 5°C.
- Bins lidded, not overflowing.
- Floors and skirting clean and dry.
- Staff in clean whites with hair restrained.
Documents the EHO will ask for
- Written HACCP plan - dated, signed, reviewed in the last 12 months.
- Hazard analysis covering biological, chemical and physical hazards.
- CCP list with critical limits for cooking, cooling, hot holding and cold storage.
- Daily monitoring records for the past 6 weeks.
- Calibration logs for all probes (typically weekly).
- Cleaning schedule with sign-offs.
- Pest control reports from your contractor.
- Allergen matrix and supplier specifications.
- Staff training records including HACCP certificates and food handler induction.
- Traceability records - one step back, one step forward.
What gets physically inspected
Structure: walls, floors, ceilings, ventilation. Cracked tiles and peeling paint score badly.
Equipment: seals on fridges, condition of chopping boards, knife steels, thermometers. Open seals lose temperature.
Temperature controls: the EHO will probe random items in your fridges, hot-hold and at the pass.
Cleaning: swabs may be taken from contact surfaces. Schedule plus visible practice equals a pass.
Pest control: bait stations, fly screens, gaps under doors.
Staff hygiene: wash-hand basins in use, aprons changed, no visible jewellery.
The interview
Expect the EHO to ask any food handler in the kitchen one or two simple questions: "what temperature do we cook chicken to?", "where is the allergen matrix?", "what do you do if the fridge alarm goes off?". Wrong answers are an immediate red flag. This is why every food handler should hold a current HACCP Course certificate; it removes guesswork.
The scoring outcome
Inspections in Ireland are graded informally as Compliant, Minor non-compliances, Major non-compliances, or Closure. Major non-compliances trigger a follow-up visit; closure triggers an Improvement, Prohibition or Closure Order under the FSAI Act 1998.
Build a 90-day audit-ready routine
- Daily: fridge temps, cook checks, hot-hold, cleaning sign-off.
- Weekly: probe calibration, deep clean rota, internal walk-through.
- Monthly: review monitoring records, sample-test 1 product, brief team.
- Quarterly: full HACCP review, refresher training where due.
- Annually: sign off the HACCP plan; renew expiring HACCP refresher certificates.
Refresh training before it expires
FSAI guidance treats lapsed training as a non-compliance. The fastest way to keep an entire team current is an online HACCP course - it issues an instant verifiable certificate and slots straight into your training records folder.
