Scores on the Doors Scheme is now Operational with effect from 1st of June 2009

Food Hygiene rating – Scores on the Doors

This is a simple system of scoring food businesses for hygiene and legal compliance – why not find out the “Scores on the Doors” for your favourite restaurant, bar or café?

How food premises are rated:

This scheme will make food hygiene inspection results available to the public, by displaying them at the premises and by publishing them on our website in an easily understandable format. For many years food businesses have been rated for various safety issues using a complex national scoring scheme. Scores on the Doors takes three key elements of this rating process and combines them into a star rating for an ‘at a glance’ assessment of food safety. The three rating scores that are combined are for food safety practices, the condition of the structure and equipment and our confidence in how food safety at the business is managed.

What the star ratings mean:

	Very high standards of food safety management. Fully compliant with food safety legislation
	Good food safety management. High standard of compliance with food safety legislation.
	Good level of legal compliance. Some more effort might be required.
	Broadly compliant with food safety legislation. More effort required to meet all legal requirements.
	Poor level of compliance with food safety legislation - much more effort required.
No stars	A general failure to comply with legal requirements. Little or no appreciation of food safety. Major effort required.

How does the risk rating relate to the star rating?

The scores are based on the addition of the following food hygiene risk scores as defined in Annex 5 of the Food Standards Agency statutory Food Law Code of Practice:

·Confidence in management - ranging from 0 (high confidence) to 30 (no confidence)

·Compliance: Hygiene & safety - ranging from 0 (very high standards) to 25 (very poor)

·Compliance: Premises structure - ranging from 0 (very high standards) to 25 (very poor)

Making our findings available to you:

All food businesses will be included in the scheme except the lowest risk premises, such as village halls, B+Bs, greengrocers and confectioners.

Businesses are issued with a certificate detailing the rating that they have been given and are asked to display the certificate at the premises. This display on site will not be compulsory but all eligible ratings will be available on our website.

The absence of a certificate at a business or on the website should not be taken as a sign that the rating is poor. Businesses will not be eligible for a star rating until their first inspection after the start of the scheme in June 2009.

Star ratings are published for premises inspected since 01/06/2009. Further star ratings will be added at the beginning of each month as new inspections are carried out.

By 2010 most eligible food businesses will have been star-rated and by 2011, all of the star ratings will be published. If you cannot find the particular business that you are looking for on this site, it is either because it has not been inspected under the scheme or because it is based outside Mid Suffolk’s area.

Where a business has carried out improvements as a result of a food safety inspection, Mid Suffolk will consider including comments by the food business operator, at its discretion, However, a new star rating will not be given until the next qualifying inspection.

Disclaimer

The information on this site has been gathered by officers from the Food Safety Team in the course of their inspections. Inspections are carried out in accordance with Food Safety Legislation, and the Food Standards Agency Code of Practice on Food Law. This website is updated monthly but food premises may only be inspected once in every 6-36 months as specified in the Food Standards Agency Code of Practice.

The score given to food premises on the site have been based on the latest inspection carried out by the Council and as such it represents the situation as found by the Officers on the day of that inspection. Therefore the score may not be representative of the overall, long-term food hygiene standards of the premises and should not be relied on as a guide to food safety.

All entries made on the site are checked for accuracy and we make every effort to maintain the accuracy of the information provided. However, the Council gives no warranty as to the accuracy of the information on this website and accepts no liability for any loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a reliance of such information.

Find out more

To view the latest list premises inspected with their hygiene star rating and date of inspection, please confirm below that you have read the disclaimer.



I have read and accept the disclaimer and wish to view the lastest list. (157KB) 

Scores on the Doors - frequently asked questions

What is Scores on the Doors?
"Scores on the Doors" is a scheme which allows the public to view the latest hygiene rating following a food hygiene inspection carried out by officers from the Food and Safety Team. The score will be in the form of a star rating.

Why is Mid Suffolk District Council introducing this scheme?
The scheme is being introduced for several reasons. We feel the scheme will help drive up food hygiene standards even further and will give the public information they are legally entitled to receive in a format they readily understand.

Which businesses will get a star rating?
All businesses that form part of the Council's inspection programme. This will include places like restaurants, takeaways, supermarkets and pubs serving food.

Are there any businesses who will not be a part of the scheme?
Some low risk businesses such as grocers not selling high risk food, some pubs not serving food and chemists selling sweets are not part of the inspection scheme and therefore will not receive a star rating certificate normally. We do however contact them every three years and carry out inspections where we find that their circumstances have changed.

Can the star rating be changed?
Only when a primary food hygiene inspection is undertaken. A primary food hygiene inspection will only take place when it is due unless the business ownership details change or if serious breaches of food legislation are identified. We will then risk rate the premises again at this time. We do not re-rate following a complaint or a re-visit. This is in accordance with the Food Standards Agency Codes of Practice and Practice Guidance.

What does Right to Reply mean on the list of premises?
The right to reply is for the Food Business Operators of a premises to be able to comment on the scores they have been given. If you are the Food Business Operator and wish to submit a comment please contact food.safety@midsuffolk.gov.uk

How often will the rating be changed?
As soon as a new primary food inspection has been completed.

Who will decide what the star rating will be?
The Officer undertaking the inspection will risk rate the premises in accordance with a national risk rating scheme. Data from this is used to determine the star rating.

Do businesses have to display their star rating?
No. Displaying the certificate is voluntary. However, we will be displaying all hygiene scores on this website.

How can I find out what star rating is given to a particular business?
You can ask the business directly for their score or you can view the latest list of food businesses inspected and their scores on this website. The list will be updated every month.

What do I do if a business is not displaying it Certificate?
There may be a perfectly good reason for this. The business may still be awaiting an inspection or may have been inspected and waiting for a new certificate to be issued. You can check the website to see if a certificate has been issued.

What if a business disagrees with a Star rating?
The rating is based on a professional officer's inspection and will not be changed. The score will change at the next food hygiene inspection only which can be any time between 6 months and 2 years.

How do I know if a Certificate is genuine?
Following a food hygiene inspection the previous certificate will be collected by the inspecting officer and destroyed. If you are still in doubt or suspect the certificate on display is not genuine you can phone and speak to anyone in the Food and Safety Regulation team on 01449 724713 or email food.safety@midsuffolk.gov.uk

External link ...

Food Standards Agency

The Food Standards Agency is an independent Government department set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food

www.food.gov.uk