Food Standards Agency: Food Hygiene Rating Scheme – AI
Algorithmic tool to help local authorities to prioritise inspections of food businesses based on their predicted food hygiene rating
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The aim of this tool is to help local authorities become more efficient in managing the hygiene inspection of food establishments. It supports local authorities to prioritise which businesses to inspect in the first instance by predicting which establishments might be at a higher risk of non-compliance with food hygiene regulations.
The need for prioritising new inspections has emerged in recent times, as a significantly greater number of registrations of new businesses have been submitted to local authorities compared with pre-pandemic levels. As a result, the number of businesses classified as ‘Awaiting Inspection’ on the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme website has increased steadily since the beginning of the pandemic. This has been the key driver behind the development of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) AI use case.
The tool is made up of a machine learning model, integrated into a web application that can be accessed by Stakeholders within the Local Authorities (LAs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The model is trained to predict the food hygiene rating of an establishment awaiting its first inspection, as well as predicting whether the establishment is compliant or not. Use of the system is voluntary and aims to provide a standard methodology for prioritising inspections of food businesses based on their predicted food hygiene rating. LAs can then add their own expertise to the knowledge base provided by the tool to the process of inspecting food businesses. The tool is not intended to replace the current approach to generate a FHRS score. The final score will always be the result of an inspection undertaken by an LA officer.
The link below provides details of the Food Standards Agency’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS). This scheme sets out to help consumers choose where to eat out or shop for food by providing each establishment with a food hygiene rating between 0 and 5. The link does not cover the use of the FHRS AI tool currently, rather it should be read to familiarise yourself with the broader FHRS scheme that will be supported by the tool.
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme - Food Standards Agency
Contact email: strategic.surveillance@foodgov.onmicrosoft.com