Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

After a hygiene inspection of your premises by a food safety officer, you will be told in writing what your food hygiene rating is and issued with a food hygiene rating sticker. If you think that the rating does not reflect your hygiene standards at the time of inspection, there are several steps you can take.

Appeal a food hygiene rating

If you disagree with your food rating, it is a good idea to first speak informally to the food safety officer that inspected your premises. You will get the contact details of the officer in the rating notification letter. The officer should help you understand how your rating was worked out and whether you want to appeal it.

If you still believe that the rating given is wrong or unfair, you can appeal. You must appeal in writing to your local council. You must make the appeal within 21 days of receiving the rating notification. Details on how to appeal are included in the notification of rating letter sent to the business.

The appeal will be considered by an authorised officer who was not involved in the assessment in question. You will be notified of the result within 21 days from the date that the appeal was received by the council. In some circumstances, a food safety officer may visit again.

Once you have received the result of your appeal, the council will publish your rating online. If you disagree with the outcome of your appeal, you can use the council’s complaints procedure or challenge the decision by judicial review.

Right to reply to your food hygiene rating

The right to reply allows you to explain to your customers any actions you have taken to improve hygiene standards at your premises since your inspection. You can also use it to say if there were unusual circumstances at the time of the inspection that might have affected your rating.

To exercise this right, you should send your comments in writing to the food safety officer that undertook the inspection of your premises. What you say in your 'right to reply' will be published online with your hygiene rating, although the council may edit your comments if they include any offensive, defamatory, inaccurate or irrelevant remarks.

Request a re-visit inspection

You will automatically be given a new food hygiene rating each time your premises are inspected by your local council. If you make improvements to hygiene standards marked down in your last inspection report, you can ask for a re-visit to get a new rating before the next planned inspection. You will have to explain what actions you have taken on the issues raised at your last inspection and provide supporting evidence, eg receipts or photographs to show that work has been completed.

You should request a re-visit in writing from the local council which carried out the initial inspection of your premises. There will be a charge for the requested re-rating visit which must accompany the request. The local council will be able to provide further details of the costs.

Find out more about the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme safeguards, including appeals, the right to reply and asking for a re-visit.