Meet Amy
YOUR LOCAL BIN ENTHUSIAST 🤍
Hi there! My name is Amy Irwin and I am the owner and founder of Conscious Kitchens. I am a food safety and zero-to-landfill consultant, located in Dublin, Ireland. I have a BSc. Environmental Health and achieved Lead Auditor qualification and certified Train the Trainer.
After working as an EHO for 12 years, I decided to blend my expertise in food safety and my passion for waste to educate businesses around inspections, food safety and waste management.
I help food businesses and kitchens ensure their processes are adhering to regulations and increasing efficiency within busy environments, with a dash of creativity.
I consult each business based on their unique set of needs from my services and enjoy working with you to find the best solutions for your business. No two days of mine look the same!
Book your free meeting with me today and learn about a proactive approach to your inspection and waste processes.
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Why I started Conscious Kitchens
With 12 years of global experience as an EHO I witnessed the consistent fear many chefs and food business operators had around inspections, and the overall miscommunication between the EHO and the food business. I also saw first-hand the abundance of waste that kitchens were producing due to a lack of education and imagination.
After identifying the need for a balance between regulation and innovation in busy kitchens, Conscious Kitchens was born.
Founded in 2021, Conscious Kitchens is a personalised food safety and zero-to-landfill consultancy that gives your kitchen the tools to pass inspections, manage waste and save money.
I work closely with food businesses to face inspection time with confidence and offer unique sustainable solutions based on your specific needs. Rather than only pointing out non-compliances, I provide ‘stop, start and continue advice’ to offer solutions in real-time.
Be part of a pioneering group of future-forward Irish Food Businesses. Book your free discovery call to discuss the scope for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once you have selected a location and the type of business you wish to operate you must register with the relevant Authority. In the case of a restaurant, cafe or take away you register with the HSE, specifically your local Environmental Health Office. Once the EHO knows of your existence they should be in touch and soon after carry out a regulatory inspection of your premises.
No. You must have a knowledge of Food Hygiene Legislation (852/2004/EC).
The training you receive must be adequate pursuant to the level of activity you are involved in.
Food Safety Training Level 1: basic food safety skills and knowledge.
Food Safety Training Level 2: additional food safety skills and knowledge that food handlers should be able to demonstrate within 3-12 months of commencing employment in a food business.
Food Safety Training Level 3: provides the skills and knowledge that apply to management and supervisors within the food business.
Food Safety Level 1 and Level 2 do not need to be certified courses and can be carried out in-house. Information can be found here.
When the EHO visits they are there to assess compliance with the relevant legislation applicable to your business. An EHO is not there to provide advice or solutions. Ensure that you are confident in your processes and explain everything in detail to the Officer at the time of the inspection.
If you feel that the EHO is asking you to implement measures that you deem unreasonable you should seek a second opinion from a consultant who understands the legislation. Oftentimes there are variations or deviations that you may be able to adopt to ensure that you are producing a safe food.
At a minimum you require:
1 hand wash basin (separate to)
1 food preparation sink (separate to)
A double bowl sink – one sink is rinse dishes and equipment the other is to sanitise. These sinks must be adequate to take your largest piece of equipment
Alternatively you can have 1 sink and a dishwasher
All food and materials in storage areas associated with the food business should be stored a minimum of 150mm up off the floor with a clear space underneath. This ensures that there is access to clean at all times and discourages any pest activity or harbourage.
Perishable foods: all raw meat, fish and poultry must be stored on the lowest available shelf and all cooked and ready-to-eat foods must be stored above that in sealed containers with tight fitting lids.
Dry goods must be stored in sealed containers with tight fitting lids or similar.
No, there is no requirement that says you must wear single use gloves when preparing food. It is perfectly acceptable to prepare and handle food with bare hands provided proper hand washing is being carried out. If gloves are not used correctly they can become a food safety risk.
Yes. The risk associated with raw egg sauces and desserts such as mayonnaise or tiramisu is the presence of Salmonella. Salmonella is a bacteria associated with food poisoning. If you wish to prepare raw egg sauces or desserts you should:
Have a strict procedure
Equipment is sanitised
Only make small batches
Ensure you have a reliable supplier
Clearly date label each batch
Yes! As long as you put it into the correct waste stream it will be processed how it is intended. Compostable packaging that ends up in general or recycling waste will not be composted.