Scores on Doors for food businesses

What is Scores on Doors?

Scores on Doors is a NSW-wide program that rates food businesses based on routine council inspections. It lets the public know how well local restaurants, takeaway shops, bakeries, pub bistros and cafes are complying with NSW hygiene and food safety requirements. 

How are the scores decided?

During their regular inspection, our Environmental Health Officers assess your compliance using a standardised Food Premises Assessment Report (FPAR)(PDF, 390KB)  to record their findings. The FPAR applies demerit points for non-compliances which determines the final score:  

Demerit Points	Rating	Definition
0-3	5 stars excellent	The business has achieved the top score, reflecting the highest expected level of compliance with hygiene and food safety standards.
4-8	4 stars Very Good	The business has in place very good hygiene and food safety standards. Some minor areas need to be addressed to get a higher result.
9-15	3 Stars Good	The business has a good general standard of hygiene and food safety. A number of non-critical areas were found which need attention to get a higher result.

Is there a charge for Scores on Doors? 

There are no additional inspections or costs for the business for the Scores on Doors program.  

How do I get a higher score?

We have developed a Self Inspection Checklist. It is based on the Food Premises Assessment Report (FPAR) which our Environmental Health Officers use to assess food premises during routine inspections. The checklist is a good guide for food businesses to use to check their own premises and identify areas for improvement.

Food Business Self Inspection Checklist(PDF, 730KB)

For more tips see the Food Authority factsheet 

Can I request another inspection to review my rating?

To request a re-rating you must submit the Scores on Doors Rating Review Request form within 14 days of the inspection. This request will incur a fee. See fees and charges

Note: If your business failed the initial inspection and did not received a score, you cannot request a re-rating.

Once requested, the unannounced re-inspection will occur within 3 months of the request. A full inspection will be undertaken and the business will be scored accordingly, there is no guarantee that the business will receive a higher score.