Scores on the doors - food hygiene assessments

Food Hygiene Information

Consumers can now see how well food businesses in Stoke-on-Trent have done at their last food hygiene inspection – this is part of a pilot scheme running with the Food Standards Agency. The aim of the scheme is to increase customer confidence, help consumers make an informed choice about where to shop and eat and encourage under performing businesses to improve.

What will I see?

The scheme uses straightforward information in the form of a certificate and window sticker showing the business score as either:

• Excellent;
• Good;
• Satisfactory;
• Poor; or
• Very Poor.

Each category is colour coded to give ‘at-a-glance information’ based on the well known traffic light colour system – but we have also added Gold for ‘Excellent’. At the moment, businesses don’t have to display the certificate or sticker but we are encouraging them to do so where customers it can easily see it. We are also posting the information on our website, so that you can check if the business has been scored if there’s no certificate on display.

What do the scores mean? 

Excellent – written in gold - indicates that the business fully complies with food hygiene laws, takes its responsibilities to consumers seriously and consistently performs above the general standards seen for the industry.

Good - written in green - means that the business generally complies with food hygiene laws and demonstrates that food safety is part of its overall management practices.

Satisfactory - written in amber - indicates that no major issues were found although some improvements could be made to ensure future compliance.

Poor - written in red - means that the business is not complying with food hygiene laws and that action is being taken by the council to require improvements.

Very Poor - written in red - indicates that major issues were found and the council is taking formal enforcement action against the business.

How are the scores worked out?

At each food hygiene inspection, the business is rated using a scheme used by all councils. This looks at the risks presented by a business of this type, the structure of the premises, the food safety knowledge and procedures operated by the business and the level of confidence that we have that the business can regulate itself.

Our scheme takes the score for structure, hygiene and confidence in management and translates these into a more easily understood rating.

You can find a full explanation of the national scheme by following this link to The Food Standards Agency website. 

Where will I see the scores?

The scheme is being introduced gradually to give food businesses time to get used to it and scores will only be given where a full routine inspection has been carried out. At the moment we are concentrating on food businesses in Meir, Blurton and Longton and in the City Centre moving out towards Stoke.

You can search for food hygiene assessment scores by clicking here.

How can a business improve their score?

The inspector will explain the score and give advice about how to improve for the next inspection – but we won’t re-score a business at the request of the business operator.

If the business operator proves to us that improvements have been made - this will be added to the website in the form of a comment. And if the business disagrees with the score given this will also be added to the website as a 'right of reply'. The score will then be reviewed by a service manager. 

For more information about this scheme or any other food hygiene matter, please contact us.