Preston FoodSafe |
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
What do the different ratings mean?
If a business has less than 3 stars, what is the Council doing about it?
When will it start?
Why wasn't I told this was coming in?
Why introduce it?
Who is included in the scheme?
Why isn't everyone included?
Why doesn't every food business have a certificate?
A food businesses I would like to know about isn't included. Can I still find out their score?
It's my business, but I disagree with the score. What can I do?
What is the “Right to reply” button for?
I've maybe not been as good as I should have been, but standards are better now. What can I do to change my score?
The overall score seems lower than the individual parts suggest it should be – why is this?
I've been to a place and it seems to be scored incorrectly, what can I do?
Why isn’t there a web site link for a business on the page?
What do the different ratings mean?
Basically, the higher the number of stars, the better the premises was at the time the inspecting officer visited. 3 stars are awarded to a premises which is generally meeting requirements of hygiene laws. Higher awards are given where these standards are exceeded, and lower scores given when standards are not as good as they should be.
If a business has less than 3 stars, what is the Council doing about it?
A business with 2 stars or less was not meeting standards required by food hygiene law at the time of the inspection. While the council will take action against a business to make it comply, it can take some time to enforce compliance. Very low scores such as 1 and zero stars will have had formal action taken against them. This action could include measures like formal written warnings, legal Hygiene Improvement Notices, or even prosecution proceedings brought against them.
When will it start?
It’s started already. The scheme was launched on Monday 17th March 2008.
Why wasn't I told this was coming in?
If you are a business, the possibility of introducing a scheme like this was raised in previous editions of the Department newsletter, Good Health, Good Business. All businesses were invited to comment on the proposal. We also wrote to all the low scoring businesses, advising them that the scheme was coming in and giving detailed advice on how to improve. Again, businesses were invited to contact us for extra advice on how to improve.
Why introduce it?
There are several reasons. There are many good places in Preston, and the scheme seeks to recognise those places that are meeting and exceeding the requirements of current food hygiene law. We also wanted to give the public more information about the hygiene standards inspecting officers found, to enable them to make a more informed choice about where they chose to eat. The scheme also provides an incentive for poorly performing businesses to improve their standards.
Who is included in the scheme?
The scheme includes cafes, restaurants and take-aways, and several other classes of food business where it would be useful, as a consumer, to have an idea of the hygiene standards found during routine inspections. Typically the businesses included are those premises that are of most interest to the public.
Why isn't everyone included?
There are some premises such as retailers of pre-packed foods or those that sell for example fruit and vegetables where the risk to the consumer is low. There are also those premises which are classed as food businesses because they sell food, but this isn’t their main activity. For example, a chemist selling only pre-wrapped boiled sweets, or a leisure centre with a vending machine aren’t included. These kinds of premises are not included in the FoodSafe scheme.
Why doesn't every food business have a certificate?
Certificates are issued to every 3, 4 and 5 star business. Lower scoring businesses are not issued with a certificate.
A food businesses I would like to know about isn’t included. Can I still find out their score?
If you would like to know the hygiene score of a business outside the scope of the scheme, you can contact us and we will treat your request as a Freedom of Information request, so we will still be able to tell you.
It's my business, but I disagree with the score. What can I do?
Let us know. We have taken existing data about your premises from the last routine inspection and used that to calculate your star rating. If you disagree with it, get in touch telling us why you think it is wrong. See also the comment below about “Right to reply”.
What is the “Right to reply” button for?
If you have a business and have improved since the rating was applied to your business, use this facility to let us know what you have done about it. We will check that any comments received were made by the proprietor by contacting the business, and while we reserve the right to edit any comments made, we will try to put your comments on the web site provided they are appropriate. However, your star rating will not change until the time of the next inspection if all you have done is comply with the law.
I've maybe not been as good as I should have been, but standards are better now. What can I do to change my score?
When a business is inspected, a score is calculated. This score reflects the standard found at the time of the inspection. If the standards observed were poor, the consequence is that a business will be awarded a corresponding low score and will have to tolerate that until the next inspection.
The overall score seems lower than the individual parts suggest it should be – why is this?
For some premises, the inspecting officer will have noted additional risks resulting from cross contamination. This will have resulted in a lower overall rating, in line with the Code of Practice the Council follows. This is the same Code used by Councils used all over England.
I've been to a place and it seems to be scored incorrectly, what can I do?
Let us know. It is likely that after a visit to a business scoring less than 3 stars, the business will take action to improve. At the time of the next routine inspection, if they have managed to maintain appropriate standards, a higher star rating will be awarded.
Why isn't there a web site link for a business on the page?
At the time this web site was launched, we didn’t have the information. If businesses would like to tell us their e-mail addresses, we’ll be happy to include them on their page.