Food hygiene and self-inspection in canteen and large kitchen
HACCP, temperature control and cleaning plan as part of self-checking
Introduction
Many service assistants work entirely or partly in connection with a kitchen canteen or large kitchen — especially within corporate service and hospital service. Here not only the ordinary hygiene rules for cleaning apply but also food safety legislation's requirements for self-control. Understanding the principles you can actively contribute to the food being safe to eat.
What is own control?
Quality control is the company's own system to ensure that food hygiene is in order and that the food served is not harmful to health. Food businesses must base their quality control on HACCP principles (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) — a systematic review of where in the process there is risk of error and how the risk is managed, either as good practice or as a critical control point, according to the Danish Food Authority's guidance on food hygiene.
- 01Cleaning plan for rooms, equipment and surfaces
- 02Temperature control of cooling, freezing, and hot food
- 03Personal hygiene among staff handling food
- 04Durability labeling and date control
- 05Pest control and prevention
The cold chain and the danger zone
Bacteria thrive best in the lukewarm range between chilling and hot holding — roughly from about 5 to 56 °C — where growth can be very fast. At 37 degrees a single bacterium can become more than a thousand in a few hours. That is why many chilled foods — including heat-treated, cooled and perishable foods, minced meat and fresh poultry meat — must be stored at no more than 5 °C (Annex 3 of the hygiene order). For chilled foods without a set requirement, the business sets the temperature itself.
| Situation | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Heat-treated, cooled and perishable foods | No more than 5 °C (Executive Order no. 1331/2025, Annex 3) |
| Food kept warm | At least 56 °C throughout the food (Executive Order no. 1331/2025 § 29) |
| Cooling of hot food | From 56 °C to 10 °C in no more than four hours (Danish Veterinary and Food Administration's recommendation) |
The cleaning plan is part of the self-control
Your kitchen and canteen cleaning is not just ordinary facility service — it is included as a documented part of the company's self-inspection program. This means cleaning often must be performed according to a fixed plan and in some cases documented so the company can show that hygiene is controlled if the Food Authority comes for an inspection.
Smiley scheme
When the Food Authority conducts inspection, the company gets an inspection report and a smiley posted on Findsmiley.dk. The smiley shows consumers how well the place meets food rules—and your part of the work, cleaning and hygiene, directly helps determine the result.
Your role as a service assistant
You are rarely the one making the food, but you are often the one who keeps the premises, equipment, and contact surfaces clean, and therefore are part of the hygiene barrier that prevents food from becoming contaminated. Know the cleaning plan for your specific kitchen, follow it, and speak up if you notice something that does not look right — a refrigerator temperature that is too high, or signs of pests.
“Food safety does not rest on the chef alone — it rests on the entire chain, including the one who cleans.”
— Basic food hygiene rule