ACS

ACS has responded to the consultation on Scores on the Doors (SOTDs) conducted by the Food Standards Agency and targeted at improving food hygiene standards, by calling for an exemption for shops with no open food handling, and for an easy to understand ‘fail’ or ‘improvement required’ grading system.

ACS Chief Executive, James Lowman said: “ACS sees only risks and no opportunities for convenience stores from Scores on the Doors”.

The Food Standards Agency is consulting on the SOTDs system to attempt to standardise the many different hygiene scoring systems that currently operate throughout the UK. The schemes originated following the Freedom of Information Act and aim to give customers more information about the hygiene of the premises that they are purchasing food from, as well as providing an incentive to retailers to improve their performance. Once a business has been scored they are presented with a certificate containing this score and encouraged to display it, and scores are also placed online. It is likely that the Food Standards Agency will go with a four tier, “three star grades and a fail” grading system.

Mr Lowman continued: “Convenience stores are low risk businesses, and we strongly believe that consumers will not use the rating system to make choices about where to shop. It is a waste of local authority resources to extend the scheme to low risk premises.

“Given the strong potential for confusion about what a score relates to, premises with low scores could be unfairly judged by the public who may mistakenly believe that the store is in some way unsafe, even though the store is fully compliant with food hygiene law”.

Mr Lowman acknowledged that where premises engage in food preparation the scheme would be more relevant. He continued: “we can see that there would be some need for those convenience stores that do handle open food to come under the scope of SOTDs. For these premises we believe that a two tier ‘pass’ or ‘improvement required’ grading system would give customers a clear message over the cleanliness of the store and prevent any gold plating that has developed under some of the existing SOTDs schemes.”
 

“We support the Foods Standards Agency taking action to harmonise the various SOTDs schemes that have been operating across the country. This is important because right now there are numerous different schemes operating around the country, run by individual local authorities, many of which include convenience stores. This is a burden on businesses and is highly confusing for authorities, businesses and consumers alike.”

Contacts:

Shane Brennan Public Affairs Director
01252 515001/ 07921 372 978

Nina Collins Communications Coordinator
01252 515001

Michael Saxton/ Grappa PR
Julie Kirby 020 7602 9222

Notes to Editors:

1. ACS (Association of Convenience Stores) is the voice of local shops, representing over 33,000 convenience stores. ACS helps local shops thrive through lobbying, support and networking opportunities.

2. Click here for the full details of the Food Standards Agency Consultation