Food Hygiene Rating Handbook
February 2013
Contents
Page
About Safer Food Scores
3
Background
4
Do these schemes apply to you
5
Predicting your score
6
Guidance for scoring
7
How to improve your score
11
Top tips for a top score
12
Request a revisit
13
Making an appeal
14
Self-audit checklist
15
2 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
About Safer Food Scores We offer a wide range of food hygiene and health and safety consultancy and training services to make food business operators lives easier. Based in Hertfordshire and operating nationally, we provide advice and training to the Food Industry. We can carry out audits to determine compliance and predict your food hygiene rating before your EHO visits. We can provide you with a tailor-made and practical food safety management system that will work for your business. This will help ensure you sites consistently achieve top scores. If you are scored unfairly we can liaise with your local authority to arrange a re-score or appeal their decision. We run regular food hygiene courses at various locations or can train your team members on site. We can also investigate food complaints and food poisoning allegations and liaise with your customers if required. To put your mind at rest, we also provide unlimited telephone and e-mail advice as and when you need it. We have produced this handbook as an easy reference to food hygiene rating schemes. It is particularly useful for those businesses operating in more than one local authority area as not all councils will operate the same scheme.
Melissa Thompson BSc (Hons) MIH MCIEH OSHCR Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner Principal Consultant and Director at Safer Food Scores 3 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Background More than 90% of local authorities in the UK now run food hygiene rating schemes. If you operate in an area which has one of these schemes, the food hygiene rating of your last EHO kitchen inspection will be published on a website for your customers and the media to read. You may also display a certificate or sticker at the entrance to your establishment. At the moment you do not have to display your score although the Government are keen to introduce legislation to make it compulsory. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has approved a national food hygiene rating scheme to improve consistency throughout the England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This scheme uses scores between 0 and 5.
In Scotland, they have the Food Hygiene Information Scheme where you are awarded a ‘pass’ or ‘improvement required’ Other schemes use stars, traffic lights and some use smiley faces. No wonder it can be confusing to the public and businesses!
But are people really interested? Or is it just the press after a gory story that we need to worry about? Apparently not! Research shows that people avoid places that score 3 or less (the category described as ‘generally satisfactory’ in the FSA scheme) but only if made aware of the score.
Technology is making it easy to find scores. There is a free scores on the doors phone ‘app’ available. You can even point some i-phones at a restaurant to find out the score!
4 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Do these schemes apply to you? This may depend on where your business is in the country – if there is a scheme running there and if you fall within the scope of the scheme. You will need to contact your local environmental health department to find this out.
The FSA Food Hygiene Rating Scheme only applies to establishments selling food direct to consumers. The diagram below will help you determine whether it will apply to you.
FSA Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Scope
5 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Predicting your score Although they can differ, most food hygiene rating schemes will decide your food hygiene rating according to three criteria:
1. Food hygiene practices e.g. your food safety procedures and whether you follow them
2. Structural standards e.g. cleanliness, repair and facilities provided
3. Confidence in management/control procedures e.g. track record, food hygiene training, monitoring forms The scores that you receive for each of these criteria will be added together and used to determine your food hygiene rating. This rating may remain the same until your next EHO kitchen inspection - which in many cases could be more than 18 months later. This table shows how the total score achieved relates to the description on the certificate/sticker for the most popular scheme.
FSA Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Score 0 - 15 20 25-30 35 -40 45-50 50+
Rating 5 4 3 2 1 0
Description Very good Good Generally satisfactory Improvement necessary Major improvement necessary Urgent improvement necessary
6 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Guidance for scoring The criteria used to determine your score comes from the Food Law Code of Practice which enforcers must follow when determining how frequently you should be inspected. Unfortunately the guidance for determining the score is vague which can lead to inconsistency of scoring between and within local authorities. Some authorities have produced their own interpretative guidance on of the Food Law Code of Practice to aid consistency. The FSA have done so for their scheme.
Scoring Guidance in Food Law Code of Practice The food hygiene and safety procedures (including food handling practices and procedures, and temperature control), and the structure of the establishment (including cleanliness, layout, condition of structure, lighting, ventilation, facilities etc.), are assessed separately using the scoring system below. The score reflects compliance observed during the inspection according to the guidance set out below. Adherence to any relevant UK or EU Industry Guide to Good Hygiene Practice should be considered when assessing compliance. Conformity with relevant national guidelines or industry codes of recommended practice will also be necessary to score 0 or 5. 25
Almost total non-compliance with statutory obligations.
20
General failure to satisfy statutory obligations – standards generally low.
15
Some major non-compliance with statutory obligations – more effort required to prevent fall in standards.
10
Some non-compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice. Standards are being maintained or improved.
5
High standard of compliance with statutory obligations, industry codes of recommended practice, and minor contraventions of food hygiene regulations. Some minor non-compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice.
0
High standard of compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice; conforms to accepted good practices in the trade. Score – hygiene: Score – structural: 7
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e-mail:
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Tel: 0843 289 5055
Confidence in management/control procedures The actual performance of management is scored in Part 2 on the basis of the results achieved and observed. A management that achieves good food hygiene performance, well understood by the workforce, should have achieved a good standard in Part 2, and consequently a low score for that factor. Confidence in management is not meant to reconsider this aspect. It is to elicit a judgement on the likelihood of satisfactory compliance being maintained in the future. Factors that will influence the inspector's judgement include: • • • •
the "track record" of the company, its willingness to act on previous advice and enforcement, and the complaint history; the attitude of the present management towards hygiene and food safety; hygiene and food safety technical knowledge available to the company (internal or external), including hazard analysis/HACCP and the control of critical points; satisfactory HACCP based procedures.
30
Poor track record of compliance. Little or no technical knowledge. Little or no appreciation of hazards or quality control. No food safety management procedures.
20
Varying record of compliance. Poor appreciation of hazards and control measures. No food safety management system.
10
Satisfactory record of compliance. Access to and use of technical advice either in-house, from trade associations and/or from Guides to Good Practice. Understanding of significant hazards and control measures in place. Making satisfactory progress towards a documented food safety management system/procedures commensurate with type of business.
5
Reasonable record of compliance. Technical advice available in-house or access to, and use of, technical advice from trade associations and/or from Guides to Good Practice. Have satisfactory documented procedures. Able to demonstrate effective control of hazards. Will have satisfactory documented food safety management system. Audit by Food Authority confirms general compliance with procedures.
0
Good record of compliance. Access to technical advice within organisation. Will have satisfactory documented HACCP based food safety management procedures, which may be subject to external audit process. Audit by Food Authority confirms compliance with documented procedures with few/minor non-conformities not identified in the system as critical control points. Score – confidence in management:
8 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Guidance for Enforcers
9 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Guidance for Enforcers
10 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
How to improve your score You could seek professional advice from your environmental health department. Unfortunately in the current economic climate this is more likely to be done over the phone than by an officer visiting at your request which will limit the value of this tactic. You could employ the services of a food safety consultant. If you decide to do so check that they are ex-enforcement officers who will best understand what is legally required and what is not. It could save you money in the long run! Check that they are willing to give you a food hygiene rating prediction based on the particular scheme running in your area. You should aim for 5 as a minimum as this indicates full compliance with food hygiene regulations. Remember though, the law is actually a minimal standard. Scoring 5 does not mean that safe food is guaranteed or that you’d have a due diligence defence should something go wrong. You should always aim for higher standards – though these need to be practical and cost-effective! Answer these questions for clues as to whether you need to improve your standards to gain a top score. 1. Do you check these temperatures regularly: food deliveries, freezers, fridges, cooked food, food on display? 2. Have your food handlers taken a Level 2 (one day) training course in food hygiene in the last three years? 3. Do you have a documented cleaning schedule? 4. Do you check daily that stored food is in date and in good condition? 5. Do you have a documented food safety management system? 6. Do you have a pest control contract? 7. Do your food handlers have high standards of personal hygiene? 8. Are your premises and equipment in good repair and condition? 11 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Top tips for a top score Clearly there is no room for complacency and you need to be prepared! As a start we suggest:
Check your documented FSMS (Food Safety Management System – you may know it as SFBB, Food Safety Policy, HACCP). When was it reviewed? Is it still relevant? Is it up-todate? Make sure the FSMS is being followed. Do team members responsible for carrying out the controls and checks know what they are supposed to be doing – and why? Devise a test specific to your procedures that they must pass. Have a team meeting to find out to see if people are having problems maintaining the standards. This is a great way to get really practical solutions, get people involved and help people understand others roles. Spend time observing as well as questioning. You’d be amazed by what people know they should do, what they think they do and what actually happens when they are under pressure! Invest in training. Cheap on-line training solutions are not the best way to retain knowledge and understanding and allow misconceptions to spread. Make sure you keep accurate records of all your monitoring checks. Remember your EHO will understand if there are a few missing entries and would prefer this to pages of ticks when checks clearly have not been made. Make sure you detail any corrective actions when targets have not been met. Seek professional advice from a pest control company if you have pest problems. Don’t accept lengthy treatments that are not solving the problem. Get a second opinion.
Get advice from a food safety consultant. They can help you and your team prepare
for an inspection and ensure your procedures suit your operation. They can carry out an in-depth audit and let you know what you need to do to achieve a top score in the most efficient way.
Demand excellence. Never accept poor standards of food hygiene or that’s just what you’ll get!
12 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Request a re-visit If you have received a score that you would like to improve, the FSA Food Hygiene Rating Scheme allows you to request a re-visit to be re-scored. Unfortunately not all schemes contain this provision and it may be that you cannot be re-scored until your next routine inspection which may be 18 months later. Contact your local environmental health department to find out what applies in your area.
FSA Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Re-visit Process
It would be a good idea to contact a food safety consultant prior to your request for a re-score so that they can audit to ensure that all the priority actions identified by the enforcement officer have been completed and there are no other issues that could prevent you gaining a top score. 13 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Making an appeal If you feel you have been scored unfairly, the FSA Food Hygiene Rating Scheme has a formal appeals process. Unfortunately not all schemes do. Some suggest the Council’s complaint procedure which can be lengthy and the score may remain published whilst the score is in dispute. Contact your local environmental health department to find out what applies in your area
FSA Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Appeal Process
Because of the impact a poor score could have on your reputation and ultimately your profitability, you should contact a food safety consultant as soon as possible if you feel you have been scored unfairly. That way you can ensure that the best evidence is collected to support your appeal. You should check that the consultant has worked in enforcement and understands the workings of food hygiene rating schemes. 14 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055
Please contact us if you would like to find out more about what we do. Safer Food Scores Berkhamsted House 121 High Street Berkhamsted Herts HP4 2DJ Tel:
0843 289 5055
E-mail:
[email protected]
15 www.saferfoodscores.co.uk
e-mail:
[email protected]
Tel: 0843 289 5055