Introduction
**One-Star Food Hygiene Rating - EHO Letter Arrives**
Imagine starting your day with a letter from the Environmental Health Officer (EHO). You open it, and your eyes widen as you see the sticker inside – a one-star food hygiene rating. What?????? It has to be a mistake right? 🙁 Things didn’t seem that bad during the recent EHO inspection. You’re thinking about the Press and your one-star hygiene rating going public. Newspapers seem to enjoy naming and shaming businesses online. And what if your score is spread around social media? Now you’re worrying about the impact – how will this affect your reputation, your finances? This may be a made up scenario, but in reality, it happens often. Read on to find out what emergency steps you need to take to protect your reputation from a media meltdown.
Does a One-Star Food Hygiene Rating Really Matter?
You’re not alone if you think the EHO inspection seems like a bureaucratic tick-box exercise. But it’s so much more than that. Let me explain.
The little green sticker that arrives with the EHO inspection report speaks loudly to your customers, to competitors and the wider public. Your score signals the hygiene standards in your business. And it demonstrates how much your business prioritises customer safety. More importantly, it indicates whether you are putting customers lives at risk. Put another way, a one-star food hygiene rating sends out the wrong message. So yes, it does matter.
Your Hygiene Rating Reflects On Your Brand
Think about it for a moment. And ask yourself ”Is there a disconnect between my business image and the hygiene sticker displayed on my front door”? Would it matter to your customers if you had a low one-star hygiene rating? Seriously, if left unchecked, a poor rating can have unpleasant consequences. Not just for customers – but for your business. In this digital age, let’s face it – bad news travels fast. It only takes one viral social media post or sensational news story. Suddenly trust in your business is on the line.
Burying Your Head In The Sand Is Not The Solution
Nevertheless, it’s easy to panic or go into denial after seeing that sticker with a one-star food hygiene rating. Still, ignoring it or getting defensive won’t make it go away. Instead, it’s important to take quick, strategic action. Larger companies often have a crisis management plan in place. Typically, smaller businesses get caught off guard. To be honest, preparation is the best, simplest action you can take. Then, if disaster strikes, the situation will be a breeze. Because everyone will then know what to do. And your business can roll into action quickly. Remember – a slow response is not your friend and neither is no response!
What Does A One-Star Food Hygiene Rating Mean?
As the EHO inspects your business, several factors are being taken into account. This includes cleanliness, staff food handling practices, their knowledge and personal hygiene, temperature control, pests, your premises structure, and your food safety management system. Furthermore, the one-star hygiene rating is a snap shot at one moment in time. So, the EHO may have caught you on a bad day. Of all the scores, the ones listed below represent the lowest food hygiene ratings. So aim not to attract any of these.
• 0 Stars: Urgent improvements required due to serious risks to public health.
• 1 Star: Major improvements needed to avoid further enforcement action.
• 2 Stars: Still problematic requiring significant improvements
What's The Point Of The Rating Sticker?
Food hygiene ratings aren’t just about a number on a sticker – they provide information to the public. Customers use them to decide where to eat or shop. This means they look for hygiene ratings published online. And third-party food delivery platforms (e.g. Deliveroo) have minimum hygiene requirements too. Fail to meet them, and you will not be allowed to trade on their platform. Obviously, this will mean loss of revenue.
Longer-Term Impact of a One-Star Food Hygiene Rating
The consequences of a one-star hygiene rating go beyond any immediate reputational damage. Here are some consequences you may not have thought about:
• Increased EHO Scrutiny. Future inspections are likely to be more frequent and thorough.
• Insurance Costs. Some insurers may hike up the premium or refuse cover.
• Supplier and Partner Relationships. Wholesalers may hesitate to work with you.
• Financial Struggles. Securing loans or investments may become more challenging.
• Recruitment Issues. The best people may be reluctant to join a business with a tarnished reputation.
Dismal right? 🙁 But what about the emotional toll ? We’ll cover that next.
The Emotional Toll of a One-Star Food Hygiene Rating
That rating sticker displayed at the front of your premises doesn’t just influence customers. It can have a damaging effect on the emotions of the whole team. Stress, anger, shame and a dented sense of pride are common reactions. In addition, it can shatter team morale and hurt staff performance. Not surprisingly, you may feel overwhelmed with it all. And of course, unsure about how to turn things around. But don’t be disheartened – there is a way out of this.
Finding Opportunity In A Crisis
The truth is, being awarded a one-star food hygiene rating could happen to any business. And if it happened to you, it is not the end of your story. Even Michelin star restaurants get it wrong. You can recover from a one-star food hygiene rating. But to do so, you must follow the right steps. And react in the right timeframe.
That’s where we come in. As a food safety company we put systems into place to ensure businesses comply with food law. We also provide expert guidance and practical tools for improved compliance.
To help you manage the reputation fallout from a crisis we developed a free tool, which is covered next.
The Crisis Comms Kit
This new toolkit has been designed to help your small businesses through the recovery phase. What we mean is, following receipt of a one-star food hygiene rating. Use it when awarded any low score (from 2 or below). The Crisis Comms Kit has been designed to strengthen your reputation when your hygiene rating goes public. So now you know its purpose, discover what you get with the free kit.
What Is Included In The FREE Kit?
In summary, you will get:
Step-by-Step Guidance. Bite-sized steps to manage your reputation during an emergency situation. Use after receiving the EHO letter with that dismal score.
Done-for-You Social Media Calendar. 7-days of pre-planned content ideas and example social media posts. Just copy, tweak and share on Instagram or Facebook. Then rinse and repeat until the crisis is under control.
Journalist Handling Protocol. Manage media enquiries like a pro with a ready-made journalist-friendly statement. Because we all know the Press loves to name and shame businesses with a low food hygiene rating! 😉
Tips and Advice On How To Deal With Criticism. Handle customer complaints and negative feedback expertly – and avoid common mistakes.
Download Your FREE Kit Now.
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