Shropshire has a large number of food outlets across the county, including restaurants and cafes, takeaways and sandwich shops, pubs and hotels, supermarkets and other food outlets. Since June 2010 food hygiene inspectors from Shropshire Council have been rating food businesses to help customers make informed choices about where they buy and eat food.

Find out more from this YouTube video.

Following a food hygiene inspection by one of our officers, businesses are given a rating for the standards of hygiene found at that time. Details of these ratings are added to the national database, and businesses are given the option to display this rating if they wish.

As a consumer, you have access to all of these ratings and you can look up any food premises in Shropshire and the UK (such as your favourite restaurant, café or takeaway) on the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme website, along with more information about the scheme. Please remember that all scores are given at the time of the inspection, and changes may have occurred at the premises since this date.

What do the scores mean?

• A score of 5 means that conditions are very good
• A score of 4 means that conditions are good
• A score of 3 means that conditions are generally satisfactory
• A score of 2 means that improvement is necessary
• A score of 1 means that major improvement is necessary
• A score of 0 means that urgent improvement is necessary

The rating system is based on the following criteria:

• How hygienically food is handled (safe food preparation, cooking, reheating, cooling and storage)
• The condition of the structure of the premises (cleanliness, repair, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities)
• How food safety is managed and documented (using systems such as ‘Safer food better business’ or equivalent)

We offer advice to all businesses regarding food hygiene, whether this is advice on improving a score, maintaining high standards or general food safety. All businesses are given the opportunity for their premises to be re-evaluated if they believe their scores are low or they have made improvements.

If you're a business and you believe that the score awarded to your business is unfair you may appeal your hygiene rating score within 21 days of notification.

Alternatively, if you've made improvements to your business and you wish to have a re-scoring visit a fee of £303 is chargeable for recovery of costs to the council for the re-scoring visit. There will be no stand-still period in which a re-scoring visit can be undertaken, and businesses aren't limited to the number of re-score requests they can make.

As the food business operator of the establishment you have a ‘right to reply’ in respect of the food hygiene rating given following your inspection. The purpose is to enable you to give an explanation of subsequent actions that have been taken to make the required improvements, or to explain mitigation for the circumstances at the time of the inspection.

Please complete our form if you wish to use this ‘right to reply’, and email it to food@shropshire.gov.uk.

Your comments will be reviewed and may be edited in order to remove offensive or defamatory remarks before being published online, and displayed together with your food hygiene rating on the FSA ratings webpage.

Request the early publication of a food hygiene rating

If your food business has received a new food hygiene rating and you're satisfied with the decision, you can request for the rating to be published before the appeals period has ended. Please complete the request for early publication of rating form.

We'll review your request and will usually publish the rating early. If there are any issues or we have any questions about your position in the business, we'll contact you.