National food hygiene rating
In October 2010, the Food Standards Agency, in partnership with local authorities, rolled out a national food hygiene rating scheme for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The scheme provides consumers with at-a-glance information about hygiene standards in food businesses, to help them to make informed choices about where they buy and eat food.
What businesses will be given a rating?
Restaurants, takeaways, cafes, sandwich shops, pubs, hotels, supermarkets and other retail food outlets, as well as any other business where consumers can eat or buy food, will be given a rating.
How will the rating be calculated?
After the planned local authority food hygiene inspection of the premises by Environmental Health Officers, the business will be given a rating for the standards of hygiene found at that time. This will cover:
- How hygienically the food is handled – safe food preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage.
- The condition of the structure of the food premises – cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities.
- How the business manages and documents food safety.
A food business will be given one of six ratings – the top rating means that the business has achieved a very good standard of compliance with the law. Any business, no matter how small, should be able to achieve the top rating.
How will your customers know what the rating is?
The rating will be published on a national website, so customers can look it up. There is a link to Anglesey’s scores below. The business will also be encouraged to display the certificate or sticker, which shows the rating of the premises, in a conspicuous position on the premises. An example of a certificate and how it indicates a rating can be seen as an attachment below.
What if a food business operator is unhappy with the food hygiene rating?
A business will be notified of it’s hygiene rating before publication on the website. These are the options available to a food business operator who is unhappy with a rating score. The operator has:
- a “right to reply”
- can appeal against a score
- can request a revisit
Details on how to proceed with the above steps are outlined on the attached pages. Please see the “downloads” tab above. below.
What are the benefits to businesses and customers?
The scheme will be a good advertisement for those businesses that comply with food hygiene law. Good food hygiene means a good hygiene rating, and a good hygiene rating is good for business.
To contact the Food Safety team please see the “contacts” tab above.
