We have
all heard about food
hygiene ratings but what exactly are they?
The
Food Standards Agency runs this system
that gives food businesses a rating according to the level of hygiene when it comes
to: storage of the food products, handling/preparing the food, how the food is cooked,
how the work area is maintained.
Inspections
are run by authorised
officers from the local council, they can come to check if your business is
complying with the regulations at any reasonable time and without an appointment.
The
rating they give represents the state of the business at the moment of
visiting so this could improve or worsen afterwards.
The Food Hygiene Rating scheme (FHRS) started in November 2010 and it runs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is a similar system in Scotland called Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS).
'The analysis of the FHRS (which used Local Authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) found evidence suggesting that introducing the FHRS had a positive impact on (i.e. improved) premises’ compliance with food hygiene law requirements...'(Salis, S et al, 2015)
These
ratings are from 0
to 5 as follows:
» 0 – means that urgent improvement is absolutely necessary; the findings of the inspectors could put the lives of customers'/staff at risk. Depending on the type of issues found and of the recommendations the business could even be closed without notice. Rating 0 means that the business scored more than 50 points.
» 1 – major improvements required, whether it's about hygiene, staff being undertrained, management issues. This rating will be given to a company that scores between 45 and 50 points.
» 2 – for organisations that have been awarded between 35 and 40 points. This means major improvements are required. As an example, 'if there are questionable handling practices and outdated equipment.'(Rosier, J 2019)
» 3 – This rating is given when a business scores between 25 and 35 points. Average satisfactory practices, improvement actions are needed but not quite urgently;
» 4 – The result of the assessment is a good one, the total of points received is 20. Minor improvements are necessary but overall the business has 'good food hygiene practices and safety systems'(Spruce, H 2016)
» 5 – every area the assessor observed met the highest standards. Rating 5 is given to businesses that score between 0 and 15 points. 'This means the business showed excellent standards of safety on their premises.' (Food Hygiene Rating, 2020)
When a food safety inspector visits a
business, he will review three important aspects:
• the food – the way it is handled, cooked,
stored;
• the location/ the building where the
business is located – is it clean, is there enough light, is there enough
ventilation;
• the management of the business – how they
demonstrate to keep a safe place that meets ‘the requirements and the food
served or sold to you is safe to eat.’ Sleightholm, K (2018)
Food Hygiene Rating (2020), ‘What are Food Hygiene Ratings?’ https://www.foodhygienerating.co.uk/score-meaning,
accessed November 6, 2020
Food Standards Agency (2018), ‘Food Hygiene Rating Scheme’ https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/food-hygiene-rating-scheme#differences-between-online-ratings-and-rating-sticker-displayed/ , accessed November 5, 2020
Food Standards Agency (2018), ‘Food safety inspections and enforcement’ https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-safety-inspections-and-enforcement , accessed November 5, 2020
Food Standards Agency (2015), ‘Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and Food Hygiene Information Scheme – impact on hygiene standards of food businesses and on the incidence of food poisoning’ https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/fhrs-fhis-impact-study-non-technical-summary-report-2015.pdf , accessed November 6, 2020
S. Salis et al (2015) 'Evaluation of the impact of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and the Food Hygiene Information Scheme on food hygiene standards and food-borne illnesses’ https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/618918/1/fhrs-fhis-eval2011-14foodborne.pdf , p 11, accessed November 5, 2020
Spruce, H (2016) 'Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Explained: Your Questions Answered' https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/food-hygiene-rating-scheme-faqs/, accessed November 5, 2020
Rosier, J (2019) ‘What Do Food Hygiene Ratings Mean’ https://www.ihasco.co.uk/blog/entry/2511/what-do-food-hygiene-ratings-mean , accessed November 4, 2020
Sleightholm, K (2018) 'Food Hygiene Rating' https://www.protrainings.uk/wiki/food-hygiene-rating/, accessed November 6, 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment