Food Standards Agency
Thursday 24 July 2008
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It is very important that all food businesses obey the law and supply food that is safe to eat. Consumers in certain areas can already see how well a food business in their area complies with food hygiene regulations through 'scores on the doors' schemes run by their local authority.
The Agency is planning to introduce a national scheme so that consumers across the UK can obtain information on businesses in their areas.
The primary purpose of these 'scores on the doors' schemes is to empower consumers so that they make more informed choices about the places from which they purchase food.
Local authority enforcement officers are responsible for inspecting food businesses to ensure that they meet the legal requirements on food hygiene. Under the 'scores on the doors' scheme, each food outlet is given a score that reflects the inspection findings and may display this at the point of sale. The score is also available via a website where consumers can see the scores for all the businesses in the local area.
Experience with these schemes suggests that as well as providing information to consumers, they can encourage businesses to raise their hygiene standards.
You can find out more about the different local schemes across the UK and whether one is running in your area by clicking on the map below.
Regional map
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
South East
South West
East Counties
East Midlands
West Midlands
Yorkshire and The Humber
North West
North East
London
Back to topThe Agency has supported a number of local authorities across the UK to participate in a variety of pilot schemes. Some other local authorities have also introduced schemes independently of the Agency in response to local needs.
To get a broad consistency between local schemes, the following 'principles' were jointly adopted by the Agency and the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS). These provide a framework for the development of new 'scores on the doors' schemes and the operation of existing schemes:
In our Strategic Plan to 2010, we made a commitment to make a recommendation for a national scheme by the end of 2008. In order to develop that recommendation, we have undertaken a formal evaluation of the different types of local schemes currently operating across the UK to assess how well they work. See the evaluation reports at the links towards the end of this page.
The Agency’s Board considered the evaluation findings on 12 March 2008. The Board paper can be found at the link towards the end of this page. The Board concluded that a UK-wide scheme was desirable, and decided to consult on two options for the design of this scheme. See the consultations for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland at the links towards the end of this page. The consultation for Wales will begin later this month.
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In England:
Nathan Philippo
tel: 020 7276 8503
email:
nathan.philippo@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
In Scotland:
Pauline Wilkinson
tel: 01224 285140
email:
Pauline.Wilkinson@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
In Wales:
Rob Wilkins
tel: 02920 678957
email:
Rob.Wilkins@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
In Northern Ireland:
Michael Jackson
tel: 028 9041 7709
email:
Michael.Jackson@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Download pdf
(pdf 334KB) Evaluation of Scores on the Doors: final main report appendix Read the Greenstreet Berman report (March 2008)Download pdf
(pdf 1MB) FSA 08/03/06 - Scores on the Doors Read the FSA Board paper (March 2008)Download pdf
(pdf 103KB) Local authorities' feedback on Scores on the Doors schemes: workshop notes Read Greenstreet Berman report (July 2007)Download pdf
(pdf 61KB) Scores on the Doors consumer evaluation: market research report Read the COI/Continental Research report (February 2008)Download pdf
(pdf 1MB) Scores on the doors: consumer and business views Read the Greenstreet Berman report (December 2006)Download pdf
(pdf 569KB) UK-wide 'scores on the doors' scheme on hygiene standards in food businesses (England) Read the consultation documents UK-wide 'scores on the doors' scheme on hygiene standards in food businesses (Northern Ireland) Read the consultation documents UK-wide 'scores on the doors' scheme on hygiene standards in food businesses (Scotland) Read the consultation documents UK-wide 'scores on the doors' scheme on hygiene standards in food businesses (Wales) Read the consultation documentsThe Agency has sponsored a number of local authorities across the UK to participate in a variety of pilot schemes.
On this page you will find links to the local authorities in England that are currently publishing hygiene scores on their website, including those that are part of the Agency's pilots. This page will be updated to reflect the latest situation.
In Northern Ireland a number of District Councils are currently operating Scores on the Doors schemes and some of these are Agency pilot schemes.
In Wales two local authorities are currently operating Scores on the Doors schemes and one of these is an Agency pilot scheme.
Scottish consumers can see how well food businesses in their area have fared in their last food hygiene inspection, as part of a two-year food hygiene information pilot scheme launched on 6 November 2006. It effectively 'opens the door' to the kitchen and/or food areas. This will increase consumer confidence and help people make informed choices about where they eat or buy their food.
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