Food Hygiene Information Scheme

A Scores on the Doors scheme is a means of providing information to consumers about the standards of hygiene in food businesses at point of sale and on the web.

The demand for such a scheme was first recognised in Scotland by Consumer Focus Scotland in its paper 'Food Law Enforcement – A Study of the Views of Environmental Health and Food Safety Officers in Scotland'.(February 2004) as an important mechanism for informing consumer choice.

In December 2008 the Food Standards Agency Board recommended continuation of the two-tier Food Hygiene Information Scheme, based on the scheme piloted in Scotland from November 2006 – November 2008, as the appropriate format for a 'Scores on the Doors' scheme in Scotland. This purpose of this meeting was to provide guidance on the design and implementation of the Food Hygiene Information Scheme.

The Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) reflects compliance only, it provides information on compliance/the outcome of planned inspection. It provides a visible display of hygiene standards to consumers. The outcomes are 'Pass' or 'Improvement Required' (failure to achieve a pass).

The designation 'Pass' should provide reassurance that the establishment has been inspected for food hygiene by the local authority and meets legal requirements. The 'Pass' standard essentially represents a situation where the Local Authority does not consider it necessary to revisit the establishment for enforcement purposes until the next programmed intervention. In particular, a 'Pass' is incompatible with the existence of even minor recurring contraventions notified at successive visits. Any establishment falling below the required standard for a 'Pass' is classified as 'Improvement Required'.

FHIS was specifically designed to take account of the likely response of business to voluntary display of results. The design of the scheme acknowledges that a food businesses operator (FBO) is unlikely to voluntarily display anything that devalues the business.

In practice therefore, it is anticipated that only businesses with a 'Pass' will display certificates and that consumers will draw their own conclusions about the absence of displayed information. This in turn should provide businesses with maximum incentive to display 'Pass' certificates.

Information about the classification of every business within the scheme will however, be made available on a web-based information system, whether the business chooses to display the information or not.

The two-tier Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) has been piloted in Edinburgh, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeen and East Renfrewshire. An implementation group will be formed in Scotland to target the 25 local authorities who have no scheme and encourage them to adopt the Pass / Fail Scheme.

North and South Lananarkshire have a web based stars scheme and they will be left to make up their own minds as to when (or if) they come into line with the other Local Authorities in Scotland.