Food hygiene ratings

To help you choose where to eat out or shop for food we are running the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. The scheme will give you information about the hygiene standards in restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels, and other places you eat out, as well as supermarkets and other food shops.

What is the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme?

The scheme is being run in partnership with the Food Standards Agency. It will help you choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving you information about the hygiene standards in food premises at the time they are inspected by one of our food safety officers to check that they are meeting legal requirements on food hygiene. You can now look up food hygiene ratings on Food Standards Agency website and find ratings for local businesses and anywhere else the scheme is being operated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

 

Businesses are also given a window sticker and certificate showing their rating and are encouraged to display these at their premises in places where you can easily see them when you visit. Display is voluntary at the moment.

How is the rating calculated?

Each business is given a rating following an inspection by a food safety officer. This is based on how well the business is meeting the requirements of food hygiene law at that time. In particular:

• how hygienically the food is handled – safe food preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage
• the condition of the structure of the premises – cleanliness, repair, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities
•  how food safety is managed and documented – using a system such as Safer food, better business or Safe Catering

The rating reflects the conditions found at the time of the last inspection and does not reflect the quality of food or the standards of service the business provides.

What are the different ratings?

A business is given one of six ratings from 0 to 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All businesses should be able achieve the top rating of 5.

Where a business does not achieve the top rating, the food safety officer will explain to the person who owns or manages the business what improvements are needed.

Where can I get further information?

You can read about the scheme on the FSA’s site.

Appeals, right to reply, request a revisit

In order to ensure that the scheme is fair to businesses, it has been designed to include a number of safeguards. These are an appeal procedure, a ‘right to reply’, and an opportunity to request a re-visit when improvements have been made in order to be re-assessed for a new rating. Information for food businesses about these different safeguards can be seen below.

Notes for businesses:

• As the food business operator of the establishment you have a right to request a re-visit for the purposes of re-rating if you have taken action to rectify the non-compliances identified at the time of inspection
• You can make one request for a re-visit per each planned statutory inspection by the local authority and you can make this at any time after the statutory inspection provided that you have made the required improvements
• You must provide details of the improvements made with your request, including supporting evidence where appropriate
• If the local authority considers that you have provided sufficient evidence that the required improvements have been made, and provided that a three month ‘stand still’ period has passed since the statutory inspection, the local authority will make an unannounced visit. This will take place within three months of the end of the three month ‘stand still’ period or within three months of the request if this made after the ‘stand still’ period (if you were only required to make permanent structural improvements or repairs or to upgrade equipment, the local authority can choose to carry out the requested re-visit sooner than this)
• The local authority officer will give you a ‘new’ food hygiene rating based on the level of compliance that is found at the time of the re-visit - you should be aware that your rating could go up, down or remain the same
• To make a request for a revisit, please click on the orange button below