Various food hygiene rating schemes have been introduced  that are intended to give consumers information on how good hygiene standards are.

Different parts of the country use different schemes, but the main ones are the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, operated by the Food Standards Agency and Scores on the Doors, which is run by a private company.  There are others, such as the Star Award or Hygiene Award. There is an aim that the NFHRS be adopted by each local authority so that there is an element of consistency.
Whilst it is not yet a legal requirement to display the score that your business has been awarded, except in Wales, the information is freely available to the public and a poor score can obviously be disastrous for any business, especially if there is negative press coverage.

Some local authorities who have adopted a local scheme do not have any formal appeal procedure against a score, but it is possible to challenge their rating through the courts, especially if the Council refuse to carry out a re-rating within a reasonable period of time.

Should you receive a poor rating that you feel is not justified, we can help by taking the matter up with the Council. Normally, no court hearing is needed and the Council will agree to carry out a re-assessment once the correct legal challenge is issued.