Since the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act 2005 the City Council has received several requests for information relating to the standards of hygiene compliance of food businesses in the City. It is considered desirable for customers to have access to food hygiene information in order for them to make informed choices as to where they may wish to shop or to eat out and at the City's Public Protection Committee in January 2006 it was agreed that hygiene scores for certain types of food premises should be published on the internet.

Under the scheme three criteria are taken from the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) risk assessment scores and converted into one numerical score for each premises. This score will determine the final rating for each premises involved in the scheme. The three criteria are:-