[EH Team member] [Local Authority name] [Local Authority address] : [relevant telephone number]

1. [Meeting details] Moving to the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in [name of local authority] from the local [name of existing scheme] [EH Team member] [Local Authority name] [Local Authority address] : [relevant telephone number] Email: [relevant email address]

2. What will this presentation cover? • What is the national food hygiene rating scheme? • Why and how is the scheme being developed and when will it be rolled out? • Why should [name of local authority] migrate to the national scheme? • How will the Food Standards Agency support the scheme? • What are the benefits to local consumers and businesses? • What are the resource implications for the Food Safety Team?

3. What is the national food hygiene rating scheme? • A local authority/Food Standards Agency partnership initiative for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. • Provides consumers with information about hygiene standards in food premises at the time they are inspected to check compliance with legal requirements – the rating given reflects the inspection findings. • Purpose is to allow consumers to make informed choices about the places where they eat out or from which they purchase food thereby encouraging businesses to improve their hygiene standards.

4. What is the national food hygiene rating scheme? • Restaurants, takeaways, cafés, sandwich shops, pubs, hotels, supermarkets and other retail food outlets, as well as other businesses where consumers can eat or buy food, will be given a hygiene rating as part of the scheme. • Six different hygiene ratings - the top one represents a very good level of compliance with legal requirements. • All ratings will be published on a national website, and businesses will be encouraged to display them at their premises – so called ‘Scores on the Doors’.

5. Why and how is the national scheme being developed? • Being developed by the Food Standards Agency. • Advice and guidance on development provided by a UK-wide Stakeholder Group. • Group includes local authority (including LACORS and Chartered Institute of Environmental Health), consumer and food industry representatives, as well as officials from the Agency, the Better Regulation Executive and the Local Better Regulation Office.

6. When will the scheme be rolled out? • Main elements of the framework for the scheme have now been agreed: • which businesses are included; • how the ratings are calculated; and • the safeguards to ensure businesses are treated fairly (an appeal process, a right to reply opportunity and a mechanism to request a new rating when improvements have been made).

7. When will the scheme be rolled out? • Other elements of the scheme are now being developed: • the symbols and descriptors to be used for the different ratings; • the procedures for ensuring the scheme is operated consistently within and across local authorities; and • the national database and website providing consumers with a single point of access to ratings for all businesses covered by the scheme. • Scheme should be ready to go live in July or August this year but local authorities can start to prepare now so that they are ready to launch the scheme.

8. Why should [name of local authority] introduce the national scheme? • Although the [name of the local scheme] has been successful, there are additional benefits of operating the national model. • Having a single scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will help ensure consistency for businesses and clarity for consumers across local authority boundaries. • The scheme will be supported and promoted by the Food Standards Agency

9. Proliferation of local schemes

10. How will the Food Standards Agency support local authorities operating the scheme? • Guidance on implementation and operation of the scheme. • Promotional and marketing materials. • Consistency training for local authority food safety officers. • National database and website and associated IT assistance/training. • Advice and guidance for ‘early adopters’ of the scheme from two local authority EHOs seconded to the Agency • Early Adopters’ Group. • Grant funding. • National promotional activities.

11. What are the benefits to local consumers and businesses? • For consumers, the national promotional activities will raise awareness and understanding of food hygiene ratings and will help them to use the scheme, and they will be able to easily compare one business with another not just within their own area but also more widely • For businesses, they will have reassurance that they are being treated fairly and consistently with their local competitors and with competitors more widely. • All businesses, no matter the size or nature of their operation, will be able to achieve the top rating.

12. What are the resource implications for the Food Safety Team? • Scheme based around the planned food hygiene intervention programme in order to minimise any burdens. • Food Standards Agency support means that set-up and on-going costs are minimised. • Main impact from businesses requesting a new rating when improvements have been made, as re-rating visits are outside the planned intervention programme. • Agency is aware of this and committed to keeping this under close review to ensure that it does not compromise public health protection. • Differences between local and national schemes.

13. Further information and questions? • Further Information: • on Food Standards Agency website at: www.food.gov.uk/hygieneratings • from Food Safety Team [Officer’s name and telephone number]