Food hygiene - Scores on the doors
Have you ever wondered about the hygiene of your favourite restaurant's kitchen?
We are one of a number of authorities taking part in an innovative project called the London Scores on the Doors scheme which launched on 8 October 2007.
This scheme not only encourages and recognises the many food businesses which do achieve full legal compliance, it also allows the public to find out about food hygiene standards within businesses and make informed decisions about where they choose to eat in London.
It works by each business being awarded a star rating following a food hygiene inspection by the Council’s food safety team.
This rating shows how well the inspector considered the business complied with food hygiene legislation and includes an assessment of the structure and practices within the business.
It also includes as assessment of the inspector’s confidence in the management of the business to handle food safely.
Businesses with excellent standards of food hygiene will be awarded five stars ranging down to zero stars for those with very poor hygiene standards.
You need to remember that the score applies to the conditions found at the last inspection only and the rating is just a snapshot in time. It therefore may not represent the current condition of the business.
As part of the scheme, businesses are given a window sticker and certificate which shows how many stars have been achieved. Display of these is voluntary at the moment, but we are hoping that this can be made a legal requirement in London in the future.
Each of the premises has a star rating as follows:
5 Stars - Excellent: Very high standards of food safety management. Fully compliant with food safety legislation.
4 Stars - Very good: Good food safety management. High standard of compliance with food safety legislation.
3 Stars - Good: Good level of legal compliance. Some more effort might be required.
2 Stars - Broadly compliant: Broadly compliant with food safety legislation. More effort required to meet all legal requirements.
1 Star - Poor: Poor level of compliance with food safety legislation – much more effort required.
No Stars - Very poor: A general failure to comply with legal requirements. Little or no appreciation of food safety. Major effort required.
In addition to the sticker and the certificate which we hope you will see displayed, all star ratings are published on the London Scores on the Doors website which you can access at www.yourlondon.gov.uk/foodscores or www.food.gov.uk/scores where you can also find national scores and then follow the link to London.
If you are a businesses who wants to improve their rating, you need to ensure you attend to everything in your last inspection report ready for your next routine inspection and that you comply with current food safety legislation.
If you are in any doubt as to what is required, please contact the Food Safety Team using the details opposite.
Whether you are a business or consumer, you can be confident that the scheme is consistent right across London because the scores used to decide the star rating are based on a national code of practice, and the same scheme is used by nearly all council’s in London (and a few outside of London).
You can find further information about Scores on the Doors in London and nationally on the Food Standards Agency website.
