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Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

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Food safety - Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

Food Hygiene Rating logo Find out about the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, which is coming to Worthing soon.

Customers will be better informed when eating out in Worthing thanks to the introduction of the new scheme, which tells them about the hygiene standards of food outlets.

The National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is to be introduced across the borough from 4th April 2011.

Helping customers choose where to eat out

Food Standards Agency logo This national scheme, developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities, provides information on food hygiene standards to help people to choose where to eat out or shop for food.

Around one million people suffer from food poisoning every year, and the aim in introducing the scheme is to reduce this.

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Successful grant funding for Sussex

Eleven local authorities in East and West Sussex made a successful bid for funding from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to introduce the scheme in Sussex. (Brighton & Hove and Crawley are already operating similar schemes). The funding amounts to over £65,000 and covers the cost of setting up the scheme in the County.

Owners of all food premises in the borough have been contacted to confirm ownership and other details on our database.

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About the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

Food Hygiene Rating Sticker example The scheme will mean that food premises in Worthing will be given a rating based on their food hygiene.

This will be published through our website and can be displayed by the owner in their food premises.

The aim is to provide members of the public with easily accessible information on food hygiene to allow them to make a more informed choice of where to eat.

This will reward the better performing businesses and provide an incentive to owners with poor food hygiene to improve.

 

 You can also view this video clip on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU8806-PEgU)

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Search for local Food Hygiene Ratings

This tool will become live in April 2011 on the Food Standards Agency website.

Use the links below to search for local Food Hygiene Ratings :

Search the UK by interactive map (http://ratings.food.gov.uk/LocalAuthority.aspx)

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Further information

This site will be regularly updated with more information and advice for businesses as the implementation of the scheme develops.

In the meantime, if you have any queries about the introduction of the scheme in Eastbourne, please contact the council's Food Safety Team using the details below.

Download examples of the window stickers and certificates which will be issued for businesses for each level of food hygiene rating.

More information is also available on the Food Standards Agency website :

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Food Hygiene Rating Scheme questions and answers (FAQs)

Food Hygiene Rating Sticker example Get answers to your questions about the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, which is coming to Worthing from 4th April 2011.

What type of businesses will be included in the scheme?

  • Most food businesses will be covered by the scheme including restaurants, shops, cafes, takeaways, delicatessens, care homes, hotels and pubs.
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How does the scheme work?

  • The scheme will serve as a good advertisement for businesses that practice high standards of food hygiene.
  • Restaurants, takeaways, cafes, sandwich shops, pubs, hotels, supermarkets and other retail food outlets, as well as any other business where consumers can eat or buy food, will be given a rating. This rating will be determined by Environmental Health Officers during inspections.
  • The owners of food businesses will be issued with a certificate and sticker for them to display to the public in their food premises. Display of the rating is likely to be voluntary. Ratings will be based upon what was found on the day of inspection by our Environmental Health Officers.
  • The hygiene standards found at these inspections are rated on a scale ranging from zero at the bottom (which means 'urgent improvement necessary') to a top rating of five ('very good'). These ratings will be published from early April 2011 on this site.
  • Consumers can also search the national system using the link from this page, where you can search by region, address or postcode.
    Food rating 0 - Urgent improvement necessary  Food rating 1 - Major improvement necessary  Food rating 2 - Improvement necessary
    Food rating 3 - Generally satisafactory  Food rating 4 - Good  Food rating 5 - Very good
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How will businesses be scored?

  • Scores will be based on the level of risk that a food premises poses to customers from their food hygiene arrangements.
  • The scheme does not reflect the quality of the food being served, but how hygienically the food is prepared. Three criteria are used for providing a rating:
    • Food hygiene and safety : Food handling practices, cooking, chilling, preventing cross contamination and temperature control.
    • Structure and cleaning : Cleanliness, layout, condition of the structure, lighting, ventilation, facilities etc.
    • Confidence in management : The track record of the business, attitude of the present management towards hygiene and safety, hygiene and food safety technical knowledge available and satisfactory documented procedures. 
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For more FAQS about food hygiene ratings see :

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Appeals Procedure for food business operators who dispute their Food Hygiene Rating

To ensure fairness to businesses the Council have developed an 'Appeals Procedure' to enable food business operators to appeal the food hygiene rating given to their food business establishment.

Should a food business operator consider that the food hygiene rating given by the 'inspecting officer' is unjust s/he may appeal to the Lead Officer for Food or in his absence a designated deputy.

In cases where the 'inspecting officer' who has given the food hygiene rating is the Lead Food Officer, the appeal will be determined by the Environmental Health Manager and a designated deputy.

A food business operator can also appeal a 'new' food hygiene rating given to a food establishment following a re-inspection or re-visit that he/she has requested.

 

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