Food Hygiene Ratings
Torridge District Council works to the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. You will see the 0-5 stickers on the windows and doors of food premises across the Torridge District. The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is a Food Standards Agency/Local Authority partnership scheme whereby the hygiene ratings of food businesses are displayed to the public. Torridge food business ratings are on the national website, alongside ratings across the country.
Torridge in top quartile for safe food businesses by The Telegraph placed the Torridge Food and Safety Team 53rd out of 405 local authorities.
SEARCH: FOOD HYGIENE RATINGS IN TORRIDGE
self assessment checklist [200kb] Food Hygiene A Guide for Business [489kb]
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Scope of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Scope of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme The scope of the FHRS extends to establishments supplying food direct to consumers. This includes retailers, restaurants, cafes, takeaways, sandwich shops and other places where people eat food prepared outside of the home. Further information relating to the scope of the scheme is available to download from the right hand side of this page. Hygiene Ratings Scores The scores are based on Annex 5 of the Food Standards Agency, Food Law Code of Practice. The score will be related to food hygiene procedures, structural requirements and our confidence in how you manage food safety. Gaining a 5 (very good) hygiene rating
Scores are given for the following three elements:
Food hygiene and safety Procedures The FBO must demonstrate and/or provide evidence of:
Compliance with structural requirements The FBO must demonstrate and/or provide evidence of:
Confidence in food safety management/control procedures The food business operators (FBO) must demonstrate and/or provide evidence that food safety is being managed and documented in accordance with
HACCP is defined as 'Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points' (HACCP) which is a preventative approach to food safety management. It is designed to control significant food safety hazards that are likely to cause an adverse effect on health when products are consumed. HACCP has seven principles which are:
The depth of your Food Safety Management System (FSMS) will depend on the size and nature of your business i.e. a manufacturer would be required to implement a more detailed documented system than a general caterer or retailer. Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) To assist FBO's of small to medium sized establishments in implementing a documented food safety management system, the Food Standards Agency have produced 'Safer Food Better Business' which is a pack that is free and can be used to document your food safety management system. SFBB is not the only food safety management system and you may choose whatever type of system you like as long as the system is based on the seven HACCP principles. Displaying the Hygiene Rating All food business establishments rated will be issued with a certificate and a sticker and will be encouraged to display this in a prominent position so it is clearly visible to members of the public. The rating awarded will also be displayed to the public via the Food Standards Agency website. Appealing against a Hygiene Rating When you receive a Food Hygiene Rating, there is a 21 day period within which you can appeal to the Lead Officer for Food Safety of the Authority, if you feel that the inspecting officer has awarded you a Rating which you feel is unjust, i.e. you feel that the Rating does not reflect the hygiene standards and management controls found at your establishment at the time of the inspection. After you have made the Appeal, the Lead Officer for Food Safety, or a nominated deputy, will respond to your Appeal within 21 days. Guidance for appealing against a food hygiene rating score is available to download from the right hand side of this page. A food hygiene rating appeal form is also available to download from the right hand side of this page. Requesting a Food Hygiene Rating revisit A request may be made for a further visit to re-score the premise, the charge for a re-visit is £150. This request can be made at any time using a 'Request for a revisit' form. The re-visit will be carried out within 3 months on receipt of the request. A 'Self Assessment Checklist for Businesses' has been produced to assist food business operators in preparation for a revisit. The form is available to download from the right hand side of this page. There are no limits to the number of requests you can make. If the case made by the food business operator is not substantiated, the council can refuse to undertake the revisit. Any visit that is undertaken will be unannounced and the inspecting officer will not only check that the required improvements have been made, but will also assess the level of compliance that is found overall. This means that the score could go up, down or remain the same if deemed appropriate. Guidance on requesting a food hygiene rating score revisit is available to download from the right hand side of this page. Top Right to reply Food business operators will have a 'right to reply' which will be published on the website with the score. The purpose is to enable the food business operator to give an explanation of subsequent actions that have been taken to rectify non-compliance or mitigation for the circumstances at the time of the inspection, rather than to complain or criticise the scheme or 'inspecting officer'. Food business operators will be able to send comments electronically or in writing to Torridge District Council Environmental Health. The text may be edited by the local authority before being published on the website in order to remove any offensive, defamatory, clearly inaccurate or irrelevant remarks. Further guidance for the 'right to reply' is available to download from the right hand side of this page. A form for submitting a 'right to reply' is also available to download from the right hand side of this page. Benefits for Businesses The scheme serves as a good advertisement to those businesses that practice high standards of hygiene and which will hopefully lead to an increase in business as a reward for their efforts. Businesses can advertise their hygiene rating Rating sticker Ratings awarded can be used in advertising or promotional activities. A Food Standards Agency guidance leaflet for businesses is available to download from the right hand side of this page. Benefits for Consumers The scheme will give the consumers the opportunity to make informed choices about where they choose to eat or buy food, based of the standard of food hygiene within food premises. Consumers will be able to compare one business with another within their area and more widely using the Food Standards Agency 'check the ratings' online at Food Hygiene Ratings. A Food Standards Agency guidance leaflet for consumers is available to download from the right hand side of this page. FAQs Further information relating to the scheme is available from the Food Standards Agency and can be viewed online at the FSA Website |
