Here at Just Eat, we take food safety issues very seriously. We ask all of our Restaurant Partners to show us evidence that they’re registered with the Food Standard Agency (FSA) before we work with them. Local authorities are then responsible for carrying out inspections, and deciding if a business can trade. The independent nature of these inspections is important, as it helps ensure the integrity of food hygiene standards nationwide.
What's the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme for?
The scheme helps to promote higher hygiene standards. Customers can choose where they shop or order food from, based on food hygiene ratings. The scheme applies to restaurants, pubs, cafés, food vans and hotels, as well as supermarkets and local convenience shops. It’s not easy to judge hygiene standards on appearance alone, so the rating gives you an idea of what’s going on in the kitchen, often behind closed doors.
How does Just Eat handle food safety issues?
Whenever any potential food safety issues are brought to our attention, our Compliance Team will review each case and liaise with the relevant local authority and Environmental Health Officers where necessary.
Does Just Eat help Partners raise their food hygiene ratings?
We actively work with our Partners to raise food hygiene standards. We offer free, accredited food hygiene training to any business that signs up with us.
We also provide a range of tools and measures that help Partners improve their food hygiene standards.
Where can I find a business's food hygiene rating?
We're committed to helping customers make informed decisions, which is why we display food hygiene ratings for every business on our platform. These FSA ratings are based on the local authority's latest inspections.
To view a business's food hygiene rating on our app, select the place you'd like to order from and click on the information symbol in the top right-hand corner. Alternatively, if you're using our website, simply find a place to order from and click on the Information tab next to the Menu.
Who runs the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme?
Local authorities run the scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, in partnership with the FSA. They're responsible for inspecting food outlets to check that they meet the requirements of food hygiene law. They give food outlets a food hygiene rating, based on the findings from the inspection. This information is then published on the FSA website.
Does the scheme run in all parts of the UK?
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) runs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Wales and Northern Ireland only, each food outlet is legally required to display a certificate (and/or sticker) on the door or window of their premises that details their food hygiene rating.
Scotland operates the Food Hygiene Information Scheme, which is a similar scheme run by Food Standards Scotland. This scheme applies to all food outlets that supply food to consumers. In Scotland, food outlets are given a pass or improvement required rating.
What’s the Food Standards Agency?
The Food Standards Agency is the government department responsible for food safety in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. They give local authorities advice, training and other support to help them run the scheme.
What types of food outlets are given a rating?
Food hygiene ratings are given to places where you can purchase and consume food and drink, such as restaurants, cafes, sandwich shops, pubs and hotels. Ratings are also applied to other places where food is prepared – including schools, hospitals and residential care homes – in addition to places where you shop for food, such as supermarkets, bakeries and delicatessens.
Some places are exempt from the scheme. This is generally because they’re considered to be a low risk to people’s health – for example, a newsagent selling wrapped sweets only.
How is a food hygiene rating worked out?
A food safety officer inspects a food outlet to assess legal compliance with food hygiene requirements. The officer is from the local authority where the food outlet is located.
During the inspection, the officer will check the following elements:
- How food is stored, handled and prepared
- The overall condition and cleanliness of the facilities
- How food safety and hygiene standards are managed
Each of these elements helps an officer decide whether a food outlet meets the required food hygiene standards. At the time of inspection, the hygiene standards are rated on a scale of five to zero (zero means urgent improvement is required, while five means the hygiene standards are very good).
If a business doesn't receive the top rating, the officer will explain to the person who owns or manages the business what improvements are needed, and what action they should take to improve their hygiene rating.
What do the different food hygiene ratings mean?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a food outlet can be given a rating from 0-5 for food hygiene.
The rating considers which elements are most in need of improvement, in addition to the level of risk that the hygiene standards pose to people’s health. Some food outlets may perform well in some areas and less well in others.
To receive the top rating, a food outlet must do well in all elements. Those with ratings of zero are very likely to be performing poorly in all elements, and are likely to have a history of serious problems. There may, for example, be a lack of sufficient cleaning and disinfection, or there may not be a good enough system of management in place to check and record what food safety measures are adhered to.
In Scotland, food outlets are simply given either an improvement required or pass status.
Can I find more detailed information about a business’s hygiene standards?
Yes, more detailed information is available in the food safety officer’s inspection report. If you want to see this, you could make a Freedom of Information request to the local authority that carried out the inspection, who’ll then consider your request.
How often is a food business given a new rating?
A food outlet receives a new rating each time a food safety officer inspects it.
How often inspections take place depends on the potential risk to people’s health. Businesses are likely to be inspected more frequently when they store, handle or prepare high-risk food. For example, if a restaurant is preparing and serving different types of cooked and raw foods, it’ll be inspected more frequently than a small retailer selling a range of pre-packed foods that only require refrigeration.
The time between inspections varies from six months for the highest-risk businesses, to two years for lower-risk businesses. For some very low-risk businesses, the interval between inspections may be greater than this.
In some cases, a business may ask its local authority for a visit to be carried out before the next planned inspection is due. This is typically the case when a business was given a rating below five, but has since made improvements to its hygiene standards. This means the food safety officer can check that the improvements have been made and decide if a new rating should be given.
Why aren’t businesses rated on food hygiene more often?
Each local authority is responsible for numerous food businesses and will plan a programme of inspections every year. This is so that the food safety officers can focus on those businesses with poorer hygiene standards.
The plan prioritises inspections of food outlets that represent the greatest risk to people’s health.
If the local authority receives a complaint about a business they’re not due to inspect, and that information suggests hygiene standards aren’t being maintained, the local authority will investigate the situation and possibly arrange an inspection.
Why are businesses with poor food hygiene ratings not closed?
Businesses with ratings of zero or one must make urgent or major improvements to their hygiene standards. The local food safety officer will use several enforcement tools and help guide the business to make sure these improvements are made.
The food safety officer will also provide a timescale in which the improvements need to be made. This will depend on the type of issue being addressed.
If the officer finds that a business’s hygiene standards are very poor, and there’s an imminent risk to public health, the officer must take action to ensure that consumers are protected. This could mean prohibiting part of the operation or closing the business down completely.
The food hygiene rating was given a long time ago. Is it still valid?
The rating is based on the most recent inspection. In such cases, the most recent inspection may have been some time ago. This means the local authority may monitor how the business is maintaining hygiene standards in other ways. For example, by a short visit to the premises to check things over, or asking the business to complete a questionnaire. If these checks indicate that hygiene standards have deteriorated, the officer can conduct an inspection and issue a new rating.
If you have any concerns about hygiene standards in any food outlet you have visited, you should contact your local authority. You can report a food safety or hygiene problem online to the local food safety team.
What do businesses need to do to get a higher food hygiene rating?
All businesses should be able to achieve the top rating. If they don’t, the food safety officer will suggest improvements they need to make to achieve a higher rating.
What does 'Awaiting Inspection' mean?
If a new business has been set up, or there’s a new owner, it won’t have a food hygiene rating to begin with. Instead, the business may display a sticker or certificate that says Awaiting Inspection. In Wales, there’s a similar sticker that says Rating Awaited. A rating will be given once a food safety officer has inspected the business.
I'm concerned about a local food outlet’s hygiene rating after eating there, what should I do?
You should contact the local authority that gave the rating. You’ll find the name of the local authority and their contact details if you search for the business here.