Scores on the Doors

View the scores

The IOWC’s Environmental Health department undertake routine, unannounced inspections of the 1900 food businesses on the Island. These primary inspections are used to assess how well businesses manage food hygiene. Inspecting Officers score the business according to the FSA’s scoring scheme .

This involves assessing: 

1) The level of legal compliance: Food Hygiene and Safety
Including food handling practices and procedures, and temperature control.

2) Level of legal compliance: The structure of the premises
Including cleanliness, layout, condition of structure, lighting, ventilation, facilities etc.

3) Confidence in management/control systems
A judgement on the likelihood of satisfactory compliance being maintained in the future. Considerations include:

• The "track record" of the company, its willingness to act on previous advice and enforcement, and the complaint history;
• The attitude of the present management towards hygiene and food safety;
• Hygiene and food safety technical knowledge available to the company (internal or external), including hazard analysis and the control of critical points;
• Satisfactory documented procedures & HACCP based food safety management systems.

This “Scores on the Doors” Food Hygiene Star Rating Scheme makes these scores available to the public for the first time.

Why Publish the Scores?

The two main purposes of publishing the scores are to:

1. Better inform the public about how well hygiene is managed in local food businesses, and of the work we undertake to protect public health,
2. Assist in driving up standards of food hygiene (by providing recognition for those businesses that manage their food hygiene well, whilst providing an incentive to poorer performing food businesses to improve).

How are the Star Ratings Derived?

The star rating will be based on the sum of the numeric scores for:

• Level of legal compliance: Food Hygiene and Safety
• Level of legal compliance: The structure of the premises
• Confidence in management/control systems

The score bands for the star awards will be as follows:

Star Rating		Sum total of the scores given for the three score criteria
5 Stars	=	0 to 5
4 Stars	=	10 to 15
3 Stars	=	20 to 25
2 Stars	=	30
1 Star	=	35 to 40
0 Stars	=	>40

For example: A premises which has 2 stars has a total score of 30, which may consist of a score of 10 for hygiene compliance, 10 for structural compliance and 10 for Confidence in Management/Control Systems

More information about how the star ratings are derived is available from here.

Which Businesses are Included?

All the food businesses that are registered with the IOWC’s Environmental Health department and which receive routine primary food hygiene inspections will have their star rating published on the website. In addition, catering businesses (e.g. cafés, restaurants, takeaways, etc) will be issued with a Star Rating certificate to display prominently on the front of their premises (though they are not legally required to do so).

Development of the Ratings Scheme

The scheme has been developed following research into similar existing schemes which operate internationally and which are being piloted at present in other local authorities by the Food Standards Agency. These schemes have resulted in improved hygiene standards and therefore reduced risks to public health. By providing this information to the public more readily (the public have an existing right to access this information), it is hoped that similar outcomes will be achieved on the Island. Those businesses that perform well will be more readily identified and conversely those that do not will have a further incentive to improve standards.

The format of the scheme has been based on consultation involving food business operators and members of the public on the Island. The idea was welcomed by both groups: 87% of business operators thought the public should have access to the information and 79% of the public stated they wanted the information. The preferences of both groups were used to develop a scheme which was consulted on with food business operators at the “Safer Food Better Business” seminars held in February of this year. Comments made at that time have led to further refinements. and the scheme’s 0-5 star system is based on their preferences.

Hampshire