Have your say on ‘Scores on the Doors’ scheme

Herefordshire Council is to consult businesses on the introduction of a "Scores on the Doors" scheme for eating establishments.

The council's commercial team has written to most of the food businesses in the county asking for their views on Scores on the Doors (SD), a scheme where the hygiene ratings given by inspectors to food businesses are presented to the public.

The aim of the proposed "scores on doors" scheme is:

• To provide consumers with a user-friendly way to access the information they need to make informed choices about where to eat in the area.
• To encourage food businesses where deficiencies are found to improve their standards of food hygiene, leading to greater food safety.
• To ensure that those food businesses achieving consistently high standards of food hygiene are publicly recognised and rewarded.

Food inspections lead to scores related to compliance with hygiene. These will be translated into star ratings for each business with five stars being the best and no stars being the worst.

The scheme will apply to all food premises within the county and it is intended that the last inspection result will be made available on the website. A certificate will also be issued for businesses to display at their premises if they so wish. It is intended that the scheme will become operative in late January 2008.

Andy Tector, Herefordshire Council's head of environmental health and trading standards, said: "By giving the public access to the food hygiene ratings, it is hoped this new scheme will both promote food safety and empower consumer choice.

"Similar schemes have existed in the United States and Canada for more than 10 years and many authorities there have been able to encourage improvements in food safety standards by making the results of inspections available on the internet," he added.

The consultation ends on November 12, 2007. Business who wish to record their views can do so by completing the questionnaire they have been sent.

If a business has not received a form or it has been misplaced then please contact the council on 01432 261761.