Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

If you are the owner of a business and you think that you have been given an unfair or wrong rating you should first talk to the Food Safety Officer who inspected your business about why the particular rating was given.

If you still believe that the rating is unfair or wrong, there are a number of different options available to you:

1. Rating appeals
   To submit an appeal you should download an appeal form and complete and return to the address shown at the bottom of the form within 14 days of receiving your rating (this includes weekends and public holidays).
2. Right to Reply
   The owner or manager of the business in question also has a 'right to reply'. This is different from an appeal. The right to reply form is used to tell the Food Safety Officer how the business has improved its hygiene or to explain any unusual circumstances at the time of the inspection. The business's right to reply will be published online with its hygiene rating. To submit a Right to Reply you should download a right to reply form and complete and return it to the address shown at the bottom of the form.
3. Request another inspection
   If you make improvements to hygiene standards, you can pay for an additional visit in advance of the next planned inspection. This means your improvements can be checked and a new rating could be given sooner. However, you are only allowed to request one repeat inspection before the date of the next planned inspection and this request can only be made if you have made the improvements to hygiene that the Food Safety Officer highlighted at the last inspection. To request another inspection, you should download a re-rating visit request form and complete and return it to the address shown at the bottom of the form.

You can read more about the appeals, right to reply and repeat inspection processes in a PDF on the Food Standards Agency's website.