Food hygiene

Food Hygiene Ratings

The Food Hygiene rating reflects the standards of food hygiene found on the date of inspection by the Environmental Health Service. The food hygiene rating is not a guide to food quality.

View the ratings for food establishments within the Derbyshire Dales.

Food businesses are inspected by the Environmental Health service on regular basis to determine the level of risk. The hygiene rating is based on 3 keys areas

  • Hygienic food handling – Hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage.
  • Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building – Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building (including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene
  • Management of food safety - system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.

The hygiene score is determined by the inspecting Officer following the Food Law Code of Practice and Brand Standard – these documents are regularly updated by the Food Standards Agency.

If you wish to see the food safety officer’s report on which a rating is based, you can request this information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. A copy of the information will be provided.

Some food businesses are excluded from the scheme or they are exempt. These are food businesses that do not supply food directly to consumers, or food activities are very low risk. These sites are still inspected by Environmental Health using a risk based approach. The types of premises include: Primary Producers (farmers), manufacturers and packers, importers and exporters, distributors including wholesalers, and transporters.

Under the scheme a food business can apply to the local authority under the following measures:

Appeal

A food business can appeal the rating determined by the food safety officer inspecting the site, however the appeal must be raised with the Principal Environmental Health Officer within 21 days in writing.

Right to reply

The right to reply allows the business to tell customers how the business has improved its hygiene standards or if there were unusual circumstances at the time of inspection. This response will be published online, alongside the rating, by the local authority.

Request for a re-inspection

The business owner/manager can request a re-visit to get a new rating when all the necessary hygiene improvements have been made. Derbyshire Dales does not charge for this service, and therefore an inspection will not normally occur until at least 3 months have passed from the original inspection date.

Request the rating is published early

If the food business is rating is not published before the end of the appeal period, the food business can apply for their rating to be published early. E.g. a business may apply for a rating of 4 Good to be published so they can start trading on a market, or sign up to a digital platform.

Further guidance for business on the food hygiene rating scheme is available on the food standards agency website.

This webpage also includes the standards forms which should be provided to the Environmental Health Service. If you require further information or advice on the Food Hygiene Rating scheme please contact the Environmental Health Service

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