08 October 2008| How will a business get a star rating? |
| Following a programmed inspection the officer will score the business based on a national scoring scheme endorsed by the Food Standards Agency. The officers are trained in scoring and the scores given for hygiene, structure and management will be used to calculate a star rating for the business. |
| Will the star rating be displayed in the premises? |
| The star rating will be issued on a certificate and sent to the business to display on the front door or front window if desired. It is not compulsory to display the certificate. |
| What does the star rating mean? |
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The star rating lets you see at a glance the hygiene standards in the business at the time of inspection, with no stars meaning very poor, three stars meaning good and five stars meaning excellent standards of hygiene were demonstrated. The hygiene rating given to premises on the website has been based on the latest inspection carried out and as such represents the situation as found by the officer on the day of that inspection. Therefore the score may not be representative of the overall, long-term food hygiene standards. |
| Do all relevant businesses in the District have a star rating? |
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Letters were sent out to all food businesses involved in the scheme in November 2007 informing them that all premises inspected after the date of the letter will be given a star rating. The date the inspection of each premises is due depends on when the business was last inspected and the hygiene conditions found at the time. The worst performing businesses are usually inspected more often than the better performing businesses. Not all premises will have a star rating because only those premises inspected after the date of the letter will have the result of the inspection included on the website. Results will be added to the website as the inspection programme proceeds. |
| Yes, but only when a programmed food hygiene inspection is undertaken. |
| How often will the rating change? |
| It will change if a new food inspection has been completed and the scores have changed. |
| Who will decide what star rating to give? |
| The officer undertaking the inspection. |
| Do businesses have to display their star rating? |
| No. Displaying the certificate is voluntary, however the Council will be displaying the scores on its website. |
| What if a business disagrees with the star rating? |
| The rating is based on a professional officer's inspection and will not normally be changed. However, if a business believes it has not been treated fairly the Council's formal complaints procedure can be used and the matter will be investigated. The score may change at the next food hygiene inspection which can be anytime between six months and five years. |
