Food Safety and Hygiene News 

National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

The Food Standards Agency has announced a new national hygiene rating scheme which is coming to your area soon.

In 2010 the Food Standards Agency in partnership with your local authority, plan to roll out a national food hygiene rating scheme for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  The scheme will provide consumers with at-a-glance information about hygiene standards in food businesses, to help them to make informed choices about where they buy and eat food. 

Will your business be given a good rating?

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.  How will your rating be calculated?After your planned local authority food hygiene inspection, your business will be given a rating for the standards of hygiene found at that time. 

This will cover: 

• How hygienically the food is handled - safe food preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage. 

• The condition of the structure of your premises - cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities. 

• How you manage and document food safety using a system such as 'Safer food, better business' or 'Safe Catering'. 

You'll be given one of six ratings - the top rating means that you have achieved a very good standard of compliance with the law.  Any business, no matter how small, should be able to achieve the top rating.

The scheme will include safeguards to make sure that the rating you are given is fair.  How will your customers know what your rating is? 

Your rating will be published on a national website, so your customers can look it up.  You're also be encouraged to display the certificate or sticker, which you'll be given by your local authority, and which will show your rating, in a place that your customers can easily see it when they visit your premises.  the aim is that, in time, consumers will come to expect such certificates and stickers to be displayed. 

What are the benefits to you and your customers?    

The scheme will be a good advertisement for those businesses that comply with food hygiene law.  Good food hygiene means a good hygiene rating, and a good hygiene rating is good for business. 

What should you be doing now? 

The Food Standard Agency has advised businesses to look at their last food hygiene inspection report to check that you've taken all the actions needed to ensure that you meet the legal requirements. 

Make sure that you and your staff continue to fully comply with all aspect of food hygiene law 

If there are any training shortfalls, then contact Pennine Training Services to discuss a training programme for your business. 

Poor food hygiene means a poor hygiene rating, and a poor hygiene rating is bad for your business. 

Fortunately. Pennine Training Services can help you to manage food hygiene through thorough training of your staff and therefore keep your customers