Star Rating Scheme
Taunton Deane has worked with Mendip, West Somerset, Sedgemoor and North Somerset Councils to create a star rating scheme for food businesses.
Food officers regularly inspect all kinds of food businesses to give advice, make sure they comply with the law and assess their hygiene standards. The results of the inspections are converted in to a star rating using a tried and tested method based on data collected for the Food Standards Agency.
| No stars |
Poor |
Some major non-compliance with food safety law |
| One star |
Adequate |
Some non-compliance with food safety law |
| Two stars |
Satisfactory |
Broadly compliant with food safety law |
| Three stars |
Good |
Good level of compliance, some minor food safety matters to be addressed |
| Four stars |
Very good |
Very good level of compliance and confidence in management of food safety |
| Five stars |
Excellent |
Excellent level of compliance and highly confident in management of food safety |
The star rating is not an award scheme, it only shows how well the business complied with food safety law at the time of the last inspection. Food Safety Officers always give advice and may take enforcement action where necessary, so it is possible that the business may have made efforts to improve since the unannounced visit, however the business will have to wait until their next planned inspection to be re-graded.
The star rating is based on three areas:
- Observed food handling practices
- Condition of the premises, including cleanliness
- Food safety management systems in use
The results of the inspections are published on the Food Scores website (external link) and businesses who score between one and five stars are provided with stickers to show how many stars they have achieved.
Useful Information
 Frequently asked questions
|
