Written question WQ86589

The Food Standards Agency in Wales run the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in Wales in partnership with local authorities.

Food hygiene ratings are a snapshot of the standards of food hygiene found at the time of inspection.

At the inspection, the officer will check the following three elements:

• how hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored

• the physical condition of the business –including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and other facilities

• how the business manages ways of keeping food safe, looking at processes, training and systems to ensure good hygiene is maintained.

Food hygiene ratings awarded range from 5 (hygiene standards are very good and fully comply with the law) to 0 (urgent improvement is necessary).

Businesses that are given low ratings must make urgent or major improvements to hygiene standards to avoid closure. The food safety officer has several enforcement options available to them and also provide advice and guidance to support improvements.

In the spirit of transparency and to support informed consumer choice, awarded ratings, along with a breakdown of the three elements inspected, and actions required to improve the hygiene rating, are accessible to all on the Food Standards Agency website. Businesses in Wales are legally required to display their ratings in a prominent place.

Each local authority plans a programme of inspections every year. The frequency of inspections depends on the potential risk to public health.

In between inspections, local authorities monitor businesses in other ways to ensure they are maintaining hygiene standards. If these checks reveal anything that might indicate that hygiene standards have deteriorated, the officer will carry out an inspection and the business will get a new rating.