Scores on the Doors - food hygiene ratings
From September 2007, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is taking part in a London-wide pilot project with the Food Standards Agency. The aim is to assess the impact of making food hygiene results available to the public - by displaying them at the premises and publishing them on Your London website.
Find a food hygiene rating here (Your London website).
The scheme is supported by the Food Standards Agency, The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Officers and the Consumer Organisation, Which?.
Food premises (apart from those trading from home) inspected since 1 January 2006 have their results published.
How are food premises rated?
Environmental Health Food inspectors routinely inspect and score all food businesses in their boroughs using a national risk rating scheme. Three elements of that score – food hygiene, structure and confidence in management will now be taken out and published in the form of star ratings to make them easier for you to understand. The scheme will apply to restaurants, cafes, pubs, takeaways and canteens.
How will the scheme work?
The proposed scheme will involve scores being published on the website and certificates with their ratings being given to food businesses. These certificates can be displayed, allowing customers to quickly see what the standard of hygiene is actually like although, at present, it is not a legal requirement for businesses to display their ratings.
What does the star rating mean?
Businesses will be scored from zero stars (very poor) to five stars (excellent).
| Performance level | Compliance general guidance | Star rating | Score - total of: food hygiene, structure and confidence in management |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Very high standards of food safety management. Fully compliant with food safety legislation. | 5 stars | 0 to 5 |
| Very good | Good food safety management. High standard of compliance with food safety legislation. | 4 stars | 10 to 15 |
| Good | Good level of legal compliance. Some more effort might be required. | 3 stars | 20 to 25 |
| Broadly Compliant | Broadly compliant with food safety legislation. More effort required to meet all legal requirements. | 2 stars | 30 |
| Poor | Poor level of compliance with food safety legislation. Much more effort required. | 1 star | 35 to 45 |
| Very Poor | A general failure to comply with legal requirements. Little or no appreciation of food safety. Major effort required. | No star | 50 or more |