EHOs and Food Safety Officers: Choosing the Right Equipment

Klipspringer have been privileged to support UK local authorities’ Food Safety Inspectors and Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) for many years.

With the vital role of enforcing hygiene and health legislation, there is no room for compromise in the standards that must be worked to. Klipspringer fully recognises this requirement and, through an unwavering commitment to both accuracy and reliability, enjoys an ongoing, solid partnership with EHOs across the UK and Ireland.

To assist with maintaining the necessary compliance standards, this page details some of Klipspringer’s most popular products and services for EHOs, auditors and inspectors. We can guarantee that these will also be coupled with a first-class customer experience from our friendly, professional support team – standard setting starts here!

– Rapid 2-3 working day turnaround with free equipment returns service

– Certified to UKAS-accredited national standards
– Wide range of instruments including any brand and model of thermometer, humidity meter, loggers and reference weights

– Free reminder service

View calibration optionsDownload your service & calibration return form

– Quickly verify probe and infrared thermometers to a UKAS traceable standard.

– Perfect for daily/weekly checks – start the day with the full confidence that your equipment is functioning correctly!

– Faster and safer than traditional methods, saving valuable time and money.

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– 2-part reference thermometer for rapid infrared surface checks, complete with a folding probe for further investigation when required

– Available for same-day dispatch, with or without calibration certification

“We have chosen to equip all of our team with this unit, not only because it is small and compact, but it’s also much quicker and safer for our EHO’s to use.  The probe can simply be folded in and out of the unit for a core temperature, whilst the infrared part provides an instant reading without risking cross-contamination from touching different foods.” – Westminster City Council 

Specifications

– Top of the range thermometer, entirely suited for food contact and widely accepted as the standard for manufacturers, fast food outlets and inspectors.

– UKAS-calibrated waterproof unit with penetration probe, also supplied with protective carry case and wipes

– Available for same-day despatch, with or without UKAS calibration certification

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– Stainless steel reference weights to M1 standard

– Each weight supplied in serial-numbered case for storage

– Initial and ongoing UKAS calibration service available

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– The monitor provides an accurate and objective indication of oil quality, avoiding significant health risks and poor product quality arising from the over-use of cooking oil for fried food.

– Reduces food oil waste by up to 52%.

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Compliant Fridge Temperature Monitoring – A Complete Overview

What Is Fridge Temperature Monitoring?

Putting it simply, fridge temperature monitoring means regularly checking and recording what’s happening in your fridges or chillers.

Due to the temperature-sensitive nature of products stored in fridges and chillers, it’s important that the fridge is neither too hot nor too cold, and remains at a temperature between 0 and 5°C.

Whether it’s every minute or just twice a day, regularly checking is crucial to ensuring temperature-sensitive products are preserved – both in terms of food safety (to limit bacteria growth) and food quality (to maintain the taste, texture or appearance).

Why Is Fridge Temperature Monitoring Important?

Given that the majority of fridges and chillers have a temperature display, it’s fair to question why a secondary independent temperature check is necessary.

The answer is simply that temperature displays show the temperature a fridge is set to, rather than the temperature it is actually reading.

As any refrigeration or cooling unit is at risk of malfunction or breakdown, it’s important that an independent temperature check is carried out regularly to ensure the fridge temperature is safe, especially if the products are high-risk and/or perishable.

Official Advice

This is supported by the Food Standards Agency’s advice on chilling, which states:

‘You need to check that your fridge is cold enough using a fridge thermometer. This is because the dials on fridges don’t always show you the right temperature. Your fridge should be 5°C or below.’ 

BRCGS Clause 4.15.3, relating to the storage of raw materials, in-process products or finished products is also relevant. It states:

‘Temperature recording equipment with suitable temperature alarms shall be fitted to all storage facilities or there shall be a system of recorded manual temperature checks, typically on at least a 4-hourly basis or at a frequency which allows for intervention before product temperatures exceed defined limits for the safety, legality or quality of products.’ (BRCGS Global Food Safety Standard V8 , Clause 4.15.3)

In addition to food safety and quality, fridge monitoring systems with alarms offer excellent cost-saving and risk-management, as instances of non-compliance that would result in stock loss or wastage can be identified in good time, before stock must be discarded.

This is particularly relevant for large chillers, which may contain hundreds or thousands of pounds’ worth in storage. Fridge monitoring systems with audible, visual or SMS alerts have been known to avert serious loss and even reduce insurance premiums.

How Often Should I Check the Temperature of my Fridges and Chillers?

In sum, there is no hard and fast rule on how often the checks should take place; ultimately it depends on your documented site processes.

As noted above, the FSA’s guidance does not specify regularity, however the inference would be once per day.

Some local government authorities are more specific on their recommendations, such as Falkirk Council in their Food Safety Guidance, who specify that fridges should be checked at least twice per day.

The BRCGS recommend checks are conducted at least 4-hourly but leave this open to the site’s discretion, based on the time it would take for product temperatures to exceed defined limits for product safety, legality or quality.

For particularly temperature-sensitive or high-risk products in small pack quantities, especially fresh meat and dairy products, it’s wise to take a worst-case scenario approach.

If the fridge was to break down or have the door left open immediately after your temperature check and on a warm day, how soon would the stock become unsafe?

Hopefully, this article has offered useful insights, advice, and recommendations regarding compliant fridge temperature monitoring. If you have any questions or queries, feel free to contact our helpful support team at: 01473 461800.


Your Online Klipspringer Experience: The Complete Guide

Welcome this short overview guide on using your online web portal at www.klipspringer.com.

We will be regularly adding tutorial videos on everything from creating your online account to managing your equipment calibrations, so be sure to check back for more updates!

By paying attention to the following simple points, you will maximise the lifetime of your electrode and also improve the accuracy of your measurement readings.

Read on to find out how. ​

Whether you’re a new or existing Klipspringer customer, this step-by-step video takes you through creating and accessing your Klipspringer web account – the first step to accessing numerous useful account features.

Watch the tutorial here

Save time for you and your team by creating quotes, ordering online and saving your favourite products for re-ordering.  Watch this video guide to see how!

Watch the tutorial here

Find out how easy it is to view and download compliance certificates for the products you have purchased from Klipspringer in your Audit Portal. Just watch this quick 2-minute video to find out more.

Watch the tutorial here

View and download calibration certificates, access useful dates, and add equipment items at any time – watch our overview video on all the benefits and features your Equipment & Calibrations Portal has to offer.

Watch the tutorial here

Watch the below tutorial for a concise, in-depth guide of how to save time on order lists.

Watch the tutorial here