Search for SmileSafe food safety reports

What is SmileSafe?

SmileSafe is our scheme which puts you as a consumer in the picture about standards of hygiene and food safety found when we inspect food establishments in the city; information that until 2006 was not published.

The SmileSafe food safety reports you can search for by clicking above are also sent to each food establishment to be displayed at the point of sale. Unfortunately, there is no legal requirement for these to be displayed. If you visit any catering establishment in the city and a SmileSafe food safety report is not on display, ask to see it.

If you would like to find out more about how SmileSafe ratings are calculated, click here.

What happens after inspections?

If compliance with food law is found to be poor at inspection then one or more of the following may happen:

• an action sheet may be left on the day of inspection setting out what needs to be done

• a post-inspection report may be sent later setting out what needs to be done

• hygiene improvement notice(s) may be served

• a hygiene emergency prohibition notice may be served

• an undertaking to cease trading temporarily may be signed by the food business operator

• evidence may be taken for a prosecution or caution

A small number of food establishments are closed if and only if officers find “imminent risk of injury to health”, something which fortunately is not a common occurrence and is generally temporary rather than permanent. Leicester City Council makes use of this legal power and you can see a list of establishments which have been closed by clicking here.

Please be aware that food establishments with poor SmileSafe reports will not have been closed unless “imminent risk of injury to health” was found.

This is one reason why providing information on standards in food establishments is so important – so consumers can make informed choices.

Finally, please be aware that responsibility for complying with food law rests fairly and squarely with the people who run food businesses. The Council’s job is to provide advice and support to the majority of food businesses and when food law is being flouted and it is in the “public interest” to do so, take enforcement action.

Why smiley faces?

The SmileSafe scheme is based on a similar scheme that has been running successfully in Denmark since 2001. We believe that smiley faces are an excellent way to represent food safety ratings for the following reasons:

• Smileys need little or no interpretation by consumers looking at the food safety reports.

• Smileys are instantly recognisable and symbolise negative as well as positive ratings.

• Smiley faces (unlike stars) are not used for any other rating systems in the catering and hospitality industries.

• Smiley ratings are easy to understand and interpret by consumers and food business operators who cannot read English.

Comments

The SmileSafe scheme in Leicester is part of a "Scores on Doors" pilot being run in conjunction with other cities (Coventry, Derby, Hull, Nottingham, and London) and the Food Standards Agency.

We welcome any comments from businesses and consumers about this scheme. If you have any comments, please send an e-mail to food@leicester.gov.uk, fill in our feedback form or write to:

David Barclay Rhodes

Food Safety Team Manager

Leicester City Council

New Walk Centre (A4)

Welford Place

Leicester

LE1 6ZG