Food hygiene ratings unpacked - what does a '0' or '5' star rating really mean? - video Dailymotion

The rating scheme recognises food outlets with the highest standards and helps improve hygiene standards.

Transcript

00:00The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme gives businesses a rating from zero to five so

00:05you can make more informed choices about where to buy and eat food. The Food

00:09Standards Agency runs a scheme in partnership with local authorities. The

00:12rating shows how well the business is doing overall based on standards found

00:15at the time of inspection. These ratings can be found online and on stickers

00:20which are displayed at business premises however the display of the rating

00:23sticker is voluntary in England. The ratings are as follows. Five hygiene

00:28standards are very good. Four hygiene standards are good. Three hygiene

00:34standards are generally satisfactory. Two some improvement is necessary. One major

00:41improvement is necessary and zero urgent improvement is required. At the

00:47inspection the officer will check the following three elements. First off how

00:51hygienically the food is handled, how it's prepared, cooked, reheated, cooled and

00:55stored. The physical condition of the business including cleanliness, layout

01:00lighting, pest control at other facilities and finally how the business

01:04manages ways of keeping food safe. That's looking at the processes, training

01:08and systems to ensure good hygiene is maintained. Businesses which are given

01:12low ratings must make urgent or major improvements. The local authority food

01:16safety officer has several enforcement options available. If the officer finds a

01:20business's hygiene standards are very poor and there's an imminent risk to

01:24public health this could result in closing it down completely until it's

01:28safe for consumers. Businesses in Liverpool can request a revisit at any

01:32time after the inspection. For this the council charges £218. Details must also

01:38be provided of the improvements made including supporting evidence where

01:42appropriate. If the local authority thinks the evidence given demonstrates

01:46improvements one of their environmental health officers will make an unannounced

01:50visit. A new food hygiene rating will then be given based on the compliance

01:54found at the time of reassessment which means a rating could go up, down or

01:58remain the same.