Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS)
Reigate & Banstead Borough Council participate in the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) to promote high performing food businesses and enable consumers to make informed choices about where they buy and eat food. The scheme is run by local authorities in partnership with the Food Standards Agency.
Businesses can also use the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme resources for business page to request a revisit, appeal and right to reply.
What is the scheme?
The National FHRS will help you choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving information about the hygiene standards in:
- restaurants
- pubs
- cafes
- takeaways
- hotels
- supermarkets
- other places where food is eaten.
Each food business is given a ‘hygiene rating’ when it is inspected by an Environmental Health Officer. The hygiene rating shows how closely the business is meeting the requirements of food hygiene law.
When you eat out or shop for food, you might see a green and black sticker in the window or on the door, or a certificate on display showing you the hygiene rating for that business. It is not mandatory for them to display the rating. Good food premises will be proud to display their rating, whilst poor premises will be unable to hide because their details are available on search for hygiene ratings (food.gov.uk).
The ratings
Food businesses are regularly inspected to make sure that all food is handled and prepared safely. This takes into consideration compliance with three areas of food law:
- Food Hygiene - how hygienically the food is handled, prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored.
- Structure and cleanliness - the condition of the structure of the buildings, its cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities.
- Confidence in management - how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe.
At the end of the inspection, the business is issued a certificate and sticker indicating one of the following hygiene ratings:
0 - Urgent improvement necessary
1 - Major improvement necessary
2 - Improvement necessary
3 - Generally satisfactory
4 - Good
5 - Very Good
Please note: the rating does not reflect the quality of food or the standards of service provided to customers.
See also
Further details about the scheme can be found on the Food Standards Agency website.