Purpose:
The ‘Food Hygiene Rating Scheme’, operated by local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with the Food Standards Agency, helps consumers make informed choices by providing them with information about restaurant hygiene standards.
This policy sets out the minimum food hygiene rating (‘Rating’) requirements that we expect Restaurants to meet in order to sell their products through the Platform, and explains how Deliveroo will display the Rating to customers.
Minimum Rating Requirements:
Overview
Food Hygiene inspections are carried out by local authorities on behalf of the Food Standards Agency. Inspected restaurants are given a food hygiene rating between 0 and 5. These ratings give customers clear information about a restaurant’s food hygiene standards. To list on our platform, Deliveroo requires Restaurants to have a Rating of at least 2, unless you fall within an Exception.
Deliveroo displays Restaurants’ food hygiene ratings in the ‘Restaurant Information’ section on the Platform to make the Rating more readily accessible and to help customers decide upon the Restaurants from which they wish to order. We also enable customers to filter five-star rated restaurants. We source this information directly from the UK Food Standards Agency. It is public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
New Restaurants which are ‘awaiting inspection’
We also require new restaurants onboarding with us to have a hygiene rating of at least 2. We will allow new restaurants ‘awaiting inspection’ to be listed on the platform (an ‘Exception’) where we can verify the restaurant is a legitimate business.
Exceptions for restaurants already on the platform
While we always expect Restaurants to comply with the law and operate using best practice food hygiene standards, we appreciate that the unusual and unexpected can happen. Ratings are based on a snapshot of hygiene standards at the time of the inspector’s visit so we understand that they do not always reflect a Restaurant’s usual standards. This is why, at our discretion, we will continue to work with existing Restaurants that receive a 1* rating and which temporarily fail to meet the Minimum Rating in certain circumstances (a further ‘Exception’).
If you receive a 1* rating, in order to continuing selling through the platform you must:
Compile and provide evidence that you have made the changes outlined in your FSA report. This evidence will be assessed by independent food safety auditors, SureFoot Solutions. Please submit a Help request through your Hub account and request a Rating Review from Surefoot Solutions. OR
Provide proof that you have contacted your local authority to arrange a re-inspection, and that you have worked with an independent audit company to make the changes outlined in your FSA report. Proof of both steps must be submitted via a Help request through your Hub account.
If you receive a hygiene rating of 1 but do not comply with the process set out above, you will be removed from the platform. You will also be removed from the platform if you follow the process above, but fail to receive a Rating of at least 2 at your subsequent local authority inspection.
Independent Audit
If you need help with arranging an independent audit, we can put you in touch with independent food safety auditors, SureFoot Solutions. For a fee, SureFoot will carry out an initial assessment by phone and if they are satisfied that your Restaurant meets the requirements for a Rating of 2 or more , they will confirm in a written report, which can be used as confirmation of compliance. If more improvements are required, they will follow up with a site visit to check that the improvements have been implemented before confirming compliance in a written report.
Display of ratings on the platform
We will display a Restaurant’s food hygiene rating on our platform. This will be displayed in the ‘Restaurant Information’ section and will make it easier for customers to access food hygiene information and to decide upon the Restaurants from which they wish to order. We will take this rating from a direct feed from the FSA website which will update automatically whenever the FSA updates its own database of food hygiene ratings. If you become aware or believe that the food hygiene rating listed on Deliveroo’s platform is incorrect, you should first check the information the FSA and your local authority holds for your restaurant and seek to resolve the matter with your local authority directly. You should then inform Deliveroo if you believe there is a discrepancy in the information that is being displayed so we can investigate the matter further.
What else is Deliveroo doing to improve hygiene standards of Restaurants on its Platform?
If you have received a Rating of 2, although you can trade on the Platform you may still wish to consult with an independent third party to identify improvements that you can make with a view to obtaining a higher re-Rating. To help you arrange an independent audit, we will put you in touch with the independent food safety auditors SureFoot Solutions. We also allow customers to filter and sort restaurants by their hygiene rating, encouraging those with lower ratings to make improvements to their standards.
What should I do if I am suspended?
If you wish to be reinstated on the Deliveroo Platform you will need to make improvements to remedy any issues that resulted in your Rating of less than 2. Once those improvements have been made, you should contact your local authority to request a re-visit. Once that assessment has been completed, if you have obtained a Rating of 2 or above, you should provide confirmation of your new Rating to your account manager who will arrange for you to be reinstated.
What if I disagree with the Rating?
We understand that some Restaurants may not agree with the Rating that is issued to them. You have the right to appeal, the right to reply and the right to request a re-visit inspection from your local authority. Details of these options will be contained in your Rating notification letter, but also see this FSA Information Note for further information.
· Appeal: Remember you have 21 days from notification of your Rating to submit an appeal to the local authority. During the appeal process, your revised Rating will not be published; your food hygiene rating will be shown as ‘awaiting publication’. You will be able to continue trading on the Deliveroo Platform while your appeal is pending.
· Right to Reply: This enables you to highlight any actions you’ve taken to improve hygiene standards or to explain any unusual circumstances at the time of the inspection. This is then published on the FSA website together with your Rating.
· Request for re-visit: If you are confident that you have made the necessary improvements, you can ask for a re-visit before your next planned inspection so that your hygiene standards can be reassessed with a view to obtaining a higher Rating as soon as possible.The ‘Food Hygiene Rating Scheme’ (’Food Hygiene Information Scheme’ in Scotland) aims to help consumers make informed choices by providing them with information about restaurant hygiene standards. This policy sets out the minimum food hygiene rating (‘Rating’) requirements that we expect Restaurants to meet in order to sell their products through the Platform.