Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

The Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

The council operates the FSA's Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. This scheme gives customers information about the hygiene standards found at the time of inspection. This replaces our previous system of bronze, silver and gold awards.

The scheme covers businesses supplying or serving food direct to consumers such as restaurants, takeaways, cafés, pubs, hotels, schools, hospitals, care homes, supermarkets and other retailers.  There are over 455,000 ratings available to view online and it's really easy to check the hygiene rating of a food business - just go to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website.

Look before you book!

If you're out and about you can use mobile phone apps or look for the green and black sticker on display and if you can't see one, just ask the staff.

There are six hygiene ratings ranging from '0' (urgent improvement required) at the bottom to '5' (very good) at the top. The scheme is designed so that all businesses, no matter how small can achieve the top rating by meeting the legal requirements.

At an inspection the inspecting officer will allocate scores for:

• The level of compliance with food hygiene and safety procedures - how hygienically the food is handled, prepared, cooked, stored and what measures are taken to prevent food being contaminated with bacteria;
• The level of compliance with structural requirements - the condition of the structure of the premises, including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, equipment and other facilities;
• Confidence in management/control systems - how a business manages and records what is done to make sure food is safe.

The Food Standards Agency have produced a video explaining how the rating scheme works.

Food businesses have been given stickers and are encouraged to display these at the entrance to their premises. This means customers can decide if they want to go in.

Whether it's for work or family and friends make sure if you're the one choosing somewhere to eat you check the rating. It's always good to know if the restaurant takes food hygiene as seriously as you, for peace of mind.

Guidance for local businesses

In order to ensure that the scheme is fair to businesses, it has been designed to include a number of safeguards. Further information is available on the FSA website.

Report concerns

Anyone concerned about food hygiene standards in food businesses in Boston should contact the food safety team on 01205 314248 or email the environmental health team