Newark & Sherwood District Council

What is the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme?

The scheme is being run by Newark and Sherwood District Council, in partnership with the Food Standards Agency (the central Government Department with responsibility for food safety). Like the previous Scores on the Doors scheme, it will help you choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving you information about the hygiene standards in food premises at the time they are inspected by one of our food safety officers to check that they are meeting legal requirements on food hygiene.

Why is the scheme important?

Telling consumers about hygiene standards in food outlets gives them greater choice.  It also recognises those businesses with the highest standards and encourages others to improve. The overall aim is to reduce the number of cases of food poisoning which currently affects about one million people in the UK every year. 

Why is the council switching from the Scores on the Doors scheme to the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme?

Having a national scheme in place will help residents and visitors to make informed choices about where to eat out or shop for food not just within Newark and Sherwood but also further afield. It will also help ensure that businesses are treated fairly and consistently with local competitors and with their competitors more widely.

Which businesses are given a rating?

Restaurants, takeaways, cafés, sandwich shops, pubs, hotels, supermarkets and other retail food outlets, as well as other businesses where consumers can eat or buy food, will be given a hygiene rating as part of the scheme.

How is the rating calculated?

Each business is given a rating following an inspection by a food safety officer.  This is based on how well the business is meeting the requirements of food hygiene law at that time. In particular:

• how hygienically the food is handled – safe food preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage
• the condition of the structure of the premises – cleanliness, repair, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities
• how food safety is managed and documented – using a system such as Safer food, better business or Safe Catering

The rating reflects the conditions found at the time of the last inspection and does not reflect the quality of food or the standards of service the business provides.

What are the different ratings?

A business is given one of these six ratings:

• Five - very good
• Four - good
• Three - generally satisfactory
• Two - improvement necessary
• One - major improvement necessary
• Zero - Urgent improvement necessary

All businesses should be able achieve the top rating of 5. Where a business does not achieve the top rating, the food safety officer will explain to the person that owns or manages the business what improvements are needed. 

Business owners and managers can find out more about what they need to do to achieve the highest rating here through our guidance for businesses (PDF File, 78kb).

The premises given a '5' rating will appear live on the site straight away. Those who don't are given 14 days' notice to appeal so some ratings may not appear on the FSA site immediately. More data will follow after businesses have had chance to comment on the new ratings.

You can look up food hygiene ratings at food.gov.uk/ratings. You can search for ratings for local businesses and anywhere else the scheme is being operated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Businesses are also given a window sticker and certificate showing their rating and are encouraged to display these at their premises in places where you can easily see them when you visit.  Display is voluntary at the moment.

Food alerts

This is the Food Standards Agency's way of letting consumers and local authorities know about problems associated with food and, in some cases, provide details of specific action to be taken. They are often issued in conjunction with a product withdrawal or recall by a manufacturer, retailer or distributor.

Our officers are linked directly to the alert system and can respond to warnings for action as they arise. It is often the actions of a public spirited complainant that initially raises the alarm over the condition of food.

Food sampling

Our food sampling programme aims to ensure that food for sale or produced throughout Newark and Sherwood meets legal standards for safety and hygiene. Generally we target high risk foods in response to food poisoning outbreaks or incidences of food contamination. Samples will only be taken by our officers authorised to carry out such work under the Food Safety Act 1990.

Food Standards

Responsibility for the enforcement of food legislation in Nottinghamshire lies with the council’s Environmental Health team who ensure that food businesses prepare and sell food hygienically. Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards section is responsible for permitted ingredients, food labelling and quality. Both authorities work together to ensure that all food premises comply with the law.

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