Food hygiene rating scheme

The food hygiene scheme will help you choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving you information about the hygiene standards in:

• restaurants
• pubs
• cafes
• takeaways
• hotels
• supermarkets
• other places you eat out and other food shops are also included in the scheme.

This is run by local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in partnership with the Food Standards Agency.

Each business is given a ‘hygiene rating’ when it is inspected by a food safety officer from Tower Hamlets Council. The hygiene rating shows how closely the business is meeting the requirements of food hygiene law.

When you eat out or shop for food, you might see a sticker in the window or on the door, or a certificate on display, showing you the hygiene rating for that business. Businesses are encouraged to display these stickers and certificates at their premises in a place where you can easily see them when you visit.

You can search restaurants and other food premises that are within the scheme on the Food Standard Agency website.

Right to reply

Food businesses can let us know what they have done to correct any issues. Or they can explain the reasons for these issues.

Complete a right to reply form

Request for re-inspection

Where food businesses have made improvements to address their issues, they can request a re-inspection. To set up a re-visit, please arrange payment first.

Payment for re-inspection

A re-inspection costs £195. This payment is non-refundable.

Card payments

You can make a card payment by calling 020 7364 6705

Cheques

Please make them payable to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Please send them to:

Food Safety,

Tower Hamlets Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Road
London
E1 1BJ

Please write the reference number and premises address on the back of the cheque.

Please note

We prefer not to accept payment by BACS, as monies go into a generic Council fund where notification of payment is not received and it may be untraceable.

If there is no alternative, please ensure you quote the reference number from the email received after submitting your form and forward your receipt of payment by emailing foodsafety@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Request a re-inspection

Appeals

We have an appeals procedure in place for businesses to dispute a food hygiene rating. Food Business Operators have 21 days (including weekends and bank holidays) from the date of the notification (the date you were told of the rating) to lodge an appeal.

Appeal

Consent for early publication of rating 

Food Business Operators who have achieved a rating lower than 5 may request to waive their right to appeal to get their new rating published early.

Early publication of rating form

Contact

If you have any questions please email: foodsafety@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

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