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Food Standards Agency
The main objective for the FSA (Food Standards Agency) is to ensure that the food safety and hygiene regulations are met across the UK.
Which Businesses Are Included?
All of the food establishments that are stated below must of had a food safety hygiene rating given to them:
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• Restaurants
• Takeaways
• Cafes
• Pubs
• Hotels
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Care homes
• Supermarkets
• Bakeries
Do Premises Have To Display Their Rating?
Food catering facilities within England and Wales must display their rating unlike Northern Ireland who don't have to. As of the 7th October 2016, establishments within Northern Ireland that receive a new rating after this date have to by law put their food hygiene rating sticker on show on all entrances of their premises.
Process Of Appealing
What to do about appealing your food hygiene rating?
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What we recommend would be to contact the food safety officer who undertook an inspection of your premises if you deem your rating to be wrong or unfair. In the officers feedback it will give you a chance to have a breakdown of your rating and how it had been worked out, within this it will also include the contact details for the safety officer if you would like to make an appeal. When making an appeal you must make it in writing, so by either submitting it via a form, sending a letter or over email.
How long does an appeal take?
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You should send your appeal off in writing within 21 days (this period does include weekends and bank holidays) of being notified of your rating. If by any chance you do not appeal within this time slot, your local authority will publish the food hygiene rating online on their website at ratings.food.gov.uk/
The Re-Inspection Process
You will automatically be given a new food hygiene rating each time your premises are inspected by your local authority. Some authorities impose a charge for a re-visit. If you make the improvements to hygiene standards that the local authority food safety officer told you about at your last planned inspection you can ask for a re-visit. Requests must be put in writing, email or via a form.
If you make your request during those first three month, you can expect a re-visit within six months of the inspection but you will not be told a specific date and time. But if you make your request later than three months after your inspection or if your local authority charges for re-visit, you can expect a re-visit within three months but again you will not be told a specific date and time.
When the local authority does not charge for the re-visit, it will not usually take place in the first three months following the inspection at which you were given your food hygiene rating
How Is A Food Hygiene Score Worked Out?
When inspecting your premises the food safety officer will inspect 3 main areas of criteria, these being:
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Food Handling Hygiene
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Condition of Structure
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Confidence in Management
At the time of your premises being inspected you will be rated on a scale of 0 – 5. The lowest rating being ‘0’ means that urgent improvement is required. Whilst the top rating ‘5’ means that the hygiene standards at your establishment are very good. If you are not given the top rating, then the food hygiene officer will explain to the manager of the establishment about which improvements will need to be made and which actions should be taken to improve their food hygiene rating.
Any Questions?
When we say we are the experts we mean it. All of our Rentokil Specialist Hygiene technicians are trained with industry leading RSPH qualifications, making them specialists in commercial kitchen cleaning. We are always on hand to provide expert advice and recommendations on all manner of cleaning and disinfection services - alternatively you can book a FREE appointment with your local Rentokil Hygiene specialist with our online Book an Appointment form.
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