Appeal against a hygiene rating

There are safeguards to make sure that food businesses receive the correct score. If you are not happy with the score you can:

• ask for a rescoring revisit as long as you have completed the necessary actions
• appeal if you do not agree with the score
• have a right of reply to highlight the actions you have taken since your visit

We will always talk to the business at the time of inspection about the rating. You should only appeal if you think your rating is unfair.

The process for appeal is:

• speak to the inspecting officer before starting the appeal
• you must lodge an appeal in writing within 21 days of the notification of the score using the appeal form
• the Lead Officer for Food looks at the appeal
• we will tell you the final decision within 21 days from the date of the appeal
• if the rating has changed we publish it on the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme website and send you a new window sticker
• if you still disagree, you can challenge the decision through a judicial review

If you are not happy with the service you can make a complaint. This does not form part of the appeal process.