Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken with local authorities to help improve food hygiene ratings of catering businesses.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is a consumer information scheme operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of businesses to comply with food hygiene law at all times. However, the FSA provides Safer Food Better Business guidance to help small businesses manage food hygiene, and there is an information pack specifically for caterers at the following link:

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/safer-food-better-business-for-caterers

The FSA also publishes guidance on inspections, the FHRS, and how to achieve the top rating. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/preparing-for-your-first-food-hygiene-inspection

Businesses with low ratings will continue to receive follow up action or visits by local authorities to ensure that non-compliances are addressed. If the local authority officer finds that a business’s hygiene standards are very poor and food may be unsafe to eat, they must act to protect consumers. This could result in stopping part of the business or closing it down completely until it is safe to reopen it.