WIREDGOV

The Food Standards Agency has announced further progress on the development of the national 'Scores on the Doors' scheme for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which will provide consumers with information about hygiene standards in food businesses.

Following discussions with the UK-wide steering group that was set up to advise on the scheme, the Agency has decided to opt for a broad top band for the new six-tier rating scheme.

Sarah Appleby, Head of Enforcement at the Food Standards Agency, said: 'A broad top band represents a fairer scoring system for food businesses. It will mean that local authorities can concentrate their resources on helping the high-risk establishments at the lower end of the scale to improve their rating.

'One of the key objectives of the Scores on the Doors scheme is to encourage businesses to improve their hygiene standards and the decision we have announced today is consistent with that.'

The UK-wide Scores on the Doors scheme steering group is made up of representatives from the food industry, local authorities and consumer groups as well as Agency officials.