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Scores on the Doors - your inspection results made public

Scores on the Doors Pilot Schemes

The pilot schemes for Scores on the Doors, currently 68 councils, with more due to participate, are publishing results of food hygiene inspections on food businesses on the Scores on the Doors website.

Scotland has its own scheme on a pass or fail basis. It also gives businesses the right to a reinspection after a failure, allowing reassessment after improvements are made.

In England there are a multitude of schemes, varying from smiley faces, to tulips and stars. Some councils use 3 stars and others 5. The scores are explained for each scheme, but may be difficult to compare.

FSA Board Meeting

On 12th March, the FSA discussed the evaluation of the Scores on The Doors schemes and decided to adopt the scheme nationally.

Discussions focused on:

  • A four tier system (with a clearly defined scale) which will provide more
    information to consumers than a pass / fail scheme and incentivise
    businesses, but at the same time reduce the potential for consumer confusion
    and the potential for inconsistency arising from more tiers;
    • A star rating system (as positive rating systems are favoured by consumers),
    but styled to avoid confusion with existing hotel schemes;
    • Revisits and rescoring, with the detail of how this will work to be the subject of
    further work;
    • Existing local authority arrangements for appeals / complaints;
    • Display of scores at food businesses to be voluntary

The Agency will consult on 2 possible schemes:

  • a four tiered system, with three stars and a fail rating
  • a three tier scheme with ‘Pass’ or ‘Improvement Required’ certificates being issued, alongside a fail rating – as per the scheme which has been piloted in Scotland

The Board will decide on a national scheme after the consultation and it is likely to be implemented by the end of 2008.

Watch this space for further details.

  

Scores on the Doors

The Scores On the Doors website allows consumers to find out how hygienic and well managed the 70,000 food businesses so far rated are.

The mission statement says its aims are:

  1. To promote Food Safety and empower Consumer choice by making available information to which the Public has a right to access under Environment Information Regulation Legislation.
  2. A Best Value method for any Local Authorities to meet their public access obligations under current and future legislation.
  3. A visible, cost effective and well-publicised means of encouragement for improved standards amongst catering establishments.

Why does Scores on the Doors matter?

When a final national scheme is decided upon, it is likely to be adopted by most councils.

This means the results of your hygiene inspections will be available for all to see and the scores may well have to be displayed prominently on your premises. A poor score could have a detrimental effect on your business.

Food Solutions is concerned that there is currently no statutory right to a reinspection if a low score is given. Some councils will reinspect for a fee, others make a business wait until their next scheduled inspection.

There is further information about the Scores on the Doors scheme available in Previous Issues of Food Solutions and in the member section of the website.

Join Food Solutions.