No-one wants to eat in a dirty restaurant, but what do food hygiene scores really mean? What does it take to get five stars, and is it possible for everywhere to get one? If somewhere is a zero, should it be closed down?
The Food Standards Agency is the body responsible for the ratings - here they answer all those questions and more.
How is a food hygiene rating worked out?
A food safety officer inspects a business to check that it meets the requirements of food hygiene law.
- How hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored
- The condition of the structure of the buildings – the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities
- How the business manages what it does to make sure food is safe and so that the officer can be confident standards will be maintained in the future
Each of these three elements is essential for making sure that food hygiene standards meet requirements and the food served or sold to you is safe to eat.
The hygiene standards found at the time of inspection are then rated on a scale. At the bottom of the scale is 0 – this means urgent improvement is required. At the top of the scale is 5 – this means the hygiene standards are very good.
If the top rating is not given, the officer will explain to the person who owns or manages the business what improvements need to be made and what action they can take to improve their hygiene rating.
The food hygiene rating reflects the hygiene standards found at the time the business is inspected by a food safety officer. These officers are specially trained to assess food hygiene standards.
What do the ratings mean?
The rating given shows how well the business is doing overall but also takes account of the element or elements most in need of improving and also the level of risk to people’s health that these issues pose. This is because some businesses will do well in some areas and less well in others but each of the three elements checked is essential for making sure that food hygiene standards meet requirements and the food served or sold to you is safe to eat.
To get the top rating of 5, businesses must do well in all three elements.
Those with ratings of 0 are very likely to be performing poorly in all three elements and are likely to have a history of serious problems.
There may, for example, be a lack of sufficient cleaning and disinfection, and there may not be a good enough system of management in place to check and record what the business does to make sure the food is safe.
Why are businesses with poor ratings not closed?
Businesses given ratings of 0 or 1 must make urgent or major improvements to hygiene standards. The local authority food safety officer will use a number of enforcement tools as well as giving advice and guidance to make sure these improvements are made.
The food safety officer will also tell the business how quickly these improvements must be made and this will depend on the type of issue that needs to be addressed.
If the officer finds that a business’s hygiene standards are very poor and there is an imminent risk to health – this means food is not safe to eat – the officer must take action to make sure that consumers are protected. This could mean closing the business down.
The rating was given a long time ago. Is it still valid?
Yes. The rating is based on the most recent inspection.
Some types of food business present a low risk to people’s health – for example pubs that sell only drinks and crisps and similar snacks but not cooked meals. In such cases, the most recent inspection may have been some time ago. This means the local authority will monitor that the business is maintaining hygiene standards in other ways. For example, by a short visit to the premises to check things or by getting the business to complete a questionnaire. If these checks reveal anything that might indicate that hygiene standards have deteriorated, the officer will carry out an inspection and the business will get a new rating.
If you have any concerns about hygiene standards in any food outlet you have visited, you should contact the local authority
What do businesses need to do to get a higher rating?
All businesses should be able to achieve the top rating.
If they do not, the food safety officer will tell them what improvements they need to make to achieve a higher rating, and is able to give practical advice on how to make the improvements.
Why is the rating on this website different from the rating on the sticker at my local takeaway?
There are a number of reasons why this might be the case. Here are some examples:
If a business does not achieve the top rating of 5, there is a delay before the rating is published so that if business owner thinks the rating given is unfair or wrong an appeal can be made.
Even if the business is given the top rating and puts up the sticker in the window, there can be a short delay as the local authority might not yet have updated the website – they generally do this once every month.
If you are concerned that the business is deliberately displaying a different rating to that on the website in order to give customers the impression it has higher hygiene standards than it actually does, you should contact the local authority
Can the owner of a business ask the local authority to re-visit to get a new rating?
Yes, but only if the improvements to hygiene that the local authority food safety officer told the business about at the last inspection have been made.
I’m worried about the rating given to a shop where I’ve eaten and bought food. What should I do?
You should contact the local authority that gave the rating. The name of the local authority and its contact details can be found if you search for the business here.
The local authority details are also on any certificate or the on back of any sticker on show at the shop.
I think I got food poisoning after eating out. Who should I complain to?
Your local authority Environmental Health or Food Safety Team. You may also wish to seek medical advice from your GP.
Find out more at www.food.gov.uk