Food Hygiene Information Scheme in Scotland

Search for hygiene inspection results in Scotland at www.food.gov.uk/ratings

The Food Hygiene Information Scheme effectively 'opens the door' to the kitchen and/or food areas. This will increase consumer confidence and help people make informed choices about where they eat or buy their food.

The scheme applies to all food outlets that supply food to consumers in the authorities taking part in the scheme. Each food outlet is asked to display a certificate on the door or window of their premises, saying whether they have passed their hygiene inspection or whether improvement is required.

An independent interim evaluation commissioned by the Food Standards Agency has been carried out on the Food Hygiene Information Scheme. The full report which arose from this research can be found by following the link at the bottom of this page.

The Food Hygiene Information Scheme is running in 25 Scottish local authorities. It applies to all premises supplying food to the public in those areas. People can also access which category each outlet has received on their local authority's website.

• Aberdeen City Council
• Aberdeenshire Council
• Angus Council
• Argyll and Bute Council
• City of Edinburgh Council
• Clackmannanshire Council
• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council)
• Dundee City Council
• East Ayreshire Council
• East Lothian Council
• East Renfrewshire Council
• Fife Council
• Glasgow City Council
• The Highland Council
• Inverclyde Council
• Midlothian Council
• North Ayrshire Council
• Perth & Kinross Council
• Renfrewshire Council
• Scottish Borders Council
• Shetland Islands Council
• South Ayrshire Council
• Stirling Council
• The Moray Council
• West Dunbartonshire Council

The scheme is designed to give straightforward information about how each food outlet fared at its last food hygiene inspection carried out by its local authority. The inspection outcome applies to a business trading at a particular address, so that a change of business operator at a given address will require a fresh assessment.

Pass A 'Pass' indicates that the business broadly met the legal requirements. These requirements include the conditions found and the management procedures in place for providing safe food.

Improvement Required Where a business has failed to meet these requirements it will be issued with an 'Improvement Required' certificate.

Exempt Premises A very small number of premises may be registered as food businesses in circumstances where it is unlikely that customers will view them as food premises. The assessment for such premises will have concluded that the food safety risk is negligible.

In such cases (and only with the agreement of the business), a certificate will not be issued and the information on the local authority website indicates that the business is currently exempt from the food hygiene information scheme.

Awaiting inspection Where a business has not yet been inspected, it will be issued with a temporary certificate advising consumers of that fact. This will appear as 'Awaiting Inspection' on the website. Premises will also require to be re-inspected where they have changed ownership.

The local authority websites are intended to reflect the situation 'on the ground' so that consumers can use whichever source of information is more convenient.

If you come across any information that does not appear to be correct (eg, a business that has ceased or started trading) then you will find contact details for the local authority on their websites.

The Eat safe award scheme being run in Scotland will continue to offer catering businesses the opportunity to be recognised for achievement of standards beyond compliance.

It was developed by the Food Standards Agency Scotland, consumer organisations, industry and local authorities.

Consumer Focus Scotland (formerly The Scottish Consumer Council) has been actively campaigning for a food hygiene information scheme, and has been fully engaged in the development of the scheme in Scotland. Its research clearly shows people want to know how hygienic their local takeaway or restaurant is.

Consumer Focus Scotland believe that this scheme will help drive up hygiene standards, people will be able to make informed choices and therefore be able to eat out in confidence. The scheme will also benefit consumers by ensuring that a very high proportion of businesses continue to comply with the law.

Currently, more than 30,000 establishments are taking part in the scheme in Scotland. Food outlets have been asked to display certificates prominently on the door or window of their premises, showing how well they did in their last hygiene inspection. These numbers are set to increase as more local authorities start up their schemes.

The Scottish Consumer Attitudes to Food Survey 2005 showed that many people were concerned about hygiene in food outlets. Discussions with stakeholders and local authorities and the consultation responses prompted the Agency to start developing Scores on the Doors schemes to meet local needs across the UK.

For more information about the scheme please contact Pauline Wilkinson:

tel: 01224 285174
email: pauline.wilkinson@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk