Many local authorites have implemented some form of rating scheme for food premises within their areas, to give some public indication of how good or bad they view hygiene within particular premises. A score or number of stars are awarded depending on how good the standards of hygiene are found to be during the course of a visit by the Food Safety Inspector / Environmental Health Officer.
The Food Standards Agency is currently rolling out a UK-wide scheme which is intended to replace other local schemes over time and to introduce a common method for assessment. At the moment, it is not a legal requirement to display the rating, but it is possible that such a requirement could be applied in the future, adopting the same principles as exist in the USA.
Scores on the Doors and other schemes should not be confused with the ‘risk rating’ scheme, which determines how frequently inspections should be conducted by the local authority.
Sometimes, it is possible that a poor score will be given if an inspection reveals poor practices. Once these are resolved, it should be possible to ask the inspector to revisit and hopefully assign a better rating. A good reputation is worth maintaining and we can assist in restoring or improving your rating so that your business can use its rating to attact more customers who have conficence in the standards that you apply.