FHRS 1
The economics of one star
A pest-related EHO finding pushes the Food Hygiene Rating to 1 or 2. The rating is mandatorily displayed on-site. Coverage on TripAdvisor and Just Eat follows within hours.
Helix
Commercial kitchens & food service
Cockroaches,
Cockroaches,
below the equipment line.
The cockroach harbourage you can't see — under the cold-line, behind the pass, in the duct. CO₂ and temperature sensors in the voids, Valpas trap detection above the line, and HACCP-aligned dispatch when something moves.
under-pass · CO₂ · last 60min
trigger 15% · current 18%
Why kitchens, specifically
The cockroach problem isn't visible.
Cockroaches don't surface until the population is already established. Three numbers that explain why detection beats reaction.
3 – 8 visits
Multi-stage protocol
Cockroach eradication needs a minimum three-visit protocol at two-week intervals — adulticide, IGR, and physical exclusion. A single spray treatment manages the visible symptom, not the population.
£5,000+
Daily closure cost
An FSA Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order closes the business immediately. Daily revenue loss for a mid-size restaurant ranges into five figures, not counting reputational impact.
The Helix approach
Watch the void. Not the floor.
Cockroaches breed in the warm, CO₂-elevated void behind equipment. Our sensor plan watches the harbourage, not the pass.
ELSYS ERS CO₂
Placed in under-equipment voids and within ducts. Cockroach respiration produces a measurable elevation in confined voids — typically 12–20% above the kitchen ambient baseline. The first signal of an established population is gas, not sighting.
Dragino LHT65N
Wall and floor junctions, cold-line returns, drain surrounds. Harbourage thresholds: temperature > 22°C plus humidity > 65% sustained.
Valpas trap detection
Above-line traps with electronic catch detection. A binary catch event overrides the model and dispatches immediately.
Three-component treatment
InsectoSec DE for adult kill, PelGar Sumilarv 0.5G for reproductive suppression, and an enzymatic bio-foam in the drain to destroy the biofilm that sustains a colony. Each component is required; none is optional.
Pizza Express E1 · this morning
09:15:08
CO₂ +18% · pass void
Score 8.4. Three consecutive readings above 15% threshold.
09:16:14
Job card dispatched
Pizza Express E1 · DE + Sumilarv + bio-foam.
09:22:51
Claimed · BPCA technician
Food-safe certification verified. ETA 45 min.
10:08:33
On-site · no service interruption
DE applied behind cold line, pass, prep. Sumilarv placements.
10:42:12
Treatment closed
SHA-256 chain entry · HACCP CCP record auto-compiled.
HACCP-aligned
CCP records, built from monitoring.
The HACCP pack isn't a separate document you maintain. It's the same chain of custody, exported in the format the FSA inspector wants to see.
Critical Control Point (CCP) records are the operational core of any HACCP plan. They show that the operator monitored, detected, and corrected hazards at defined points throughout the food-handling chain. Pest monitoring is one of those points.
Helix produces CCP entries automatically, with the underlying environmental data attached. Lot and batch traceability is captured at every treatment. The monthly HACCP pack exports as PDF (cover narrative) plus CSV (raw data).
For multi-site operators, the pack rolls up across the portfolio with site-level drill-down. Group FM functions get a single export for the estate; individual sites retain their own audit trail.
FSA HACCP CCP pack · April 2026
CCP entries this month12
Lot/batch traceability100%
Environmental monitoringcontinuous · 8,760 readings
COSHH classificationzero · per active
Treatment record formatSHA-256 chain · GPS · photo
ExportPDF + CSV · one-click
Regulatory context
Statutory pest-control obligations under the Food Safety Act 1990, the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, and the COSHH Regulations 2002 remain with the Food Business Operator. Helix provides continuous monitoring, treatment evidence, and HACCP-formatted output to support those obligations; it does not discharge them.
Helix · pricing
Three tiers, per site.
Helix is priced flat per site rather than per cover or per square foot — easier to budget at the portfolio level. Full breakdown on the pricing page.
Lite
£200 – 300
/ site / month
Sensors, dashboard, quarterly certificate, HACCP CCP records.
Standard
£300 – 450
/ site / month
Active dispatch · 24h food-safe SLA · monthly HACCP pack · drain bio-foam programme.
Premium
£450 – 600
/ site / month
Priority dispatch · group-FM hotline · quarterly head-chef review · FHRS evidence pack.
Don't wait for the star to drop.
Book a 30-minute site audit. We'll walk the kitchen, design the Helix sensor plan, and return a quote within five working days.