National food hygiene rating scheme
For information about the national award visit the Food Standards Agency [external link] and frequently asked questions [external link].
You can also search for the ratings of businesses in Darlington.
Businesses are asked to display stickers and certificates showing their rating.
How the food hygiene rating is calculated
When food safety officers inspect food premises they look at whether the business is following hygiene laws.
Tips for caterers to achieve a food hygiene rating of 5 [pdf document]
| Compliance area | Scores | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Medium | High | ||||
| Food hygiene and safety | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Structure and cleaning | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| Confidence in management and control systems | 0 | 5 | 10 | N/A | 20 | 30 |
These scores are then used to calculate the food hygiene rating.
| Total score | 0 - 15 | 20 | 25 - 30 | 35 - 40 | 45 - 50 | >50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No score more than | 5 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 20 | - |
| Your rating is | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
The rating will show the standards found at the time of inspection by a food safety officer.
