The Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) was rolled out throughout Scotland and we launched the scheme in East Ayrshire on 25 March 2013.
The scheme was developed in Scotland by the Food Standards Agency Scotland supported by local authorities, consumer organisations and the food industry and applies to all outlets supplying food direct to consumers.
It opens the doors on catering kitchens and retail shops where food is prepared or handled and is aimed at raising food hygiene standards and consumer confidence in order to allow people to make informed choices about where they eat or shop for their food.
Each food business within the scope of the scheme is provided with a certificate and sticker showing how well they fared at their last food hygiene inspection. It provides at a glance information about the standards of hygiene in food businesses both at the premises and on our website.
Ratings and certificates
There are two ratings that a participating food business may be awarded.
Pass
This indicates that the business meets the legal requirements at the time of the inspection and that management procedures are in place to ensure the provision of safe food.
Improvement required
This indicates that the business has not met the legal requirements at the time of the inspection and requires to carry out certain improvements in order to achieve a Pass standard.
Where a business has not yet been inspected because it is a new business or has changed ownership it will be issued with a temporary certificate advising consumers that it is Awaiting Inspection.
A very small number of businesses may serve or sell small amounts of low risk food as a secondary function and consumers may not regard them as food businesses. When such businesses are assessed it will be concluded that the food safety risk is negligible and they will be classified as Exempt. No certificate will be issued unless the business owner requests one and the exempt classification will be recorded in the register.
When certificates and stickers are issued the food businesses will be asked to voluntarily display them in a prominent position on the premises which is clearly visible to customers. It is anticipated that food businesses will be unlikely to display Improvement Required certificates and that consumers will draw their own conclusions regarding the absence of displayed information.
Requests for revisits
If a business is accorded an Improvement Required rating, a request for a revisit can be made by the business operator.
The request should be made to the officer conducting the inspection or by contacting us. On receipt of such a request, the we are required by the scheme to visit within seven working days. Business operators are advised that any outstanding matters should have been addressed before such a revisit is requested.
Appeals against an officer's judgement
Where a business operator feels that the officer's judgement is incorrect in relation to the application of the scheme, an appeal can be made.
Search for a food business
Search for food businesses across East Ayrshire and check their standards of hygiene status.