Check out the rating when eating out this Christmas

Anyone choosing where to eat out or shop for festive food as Christmas approaches is reminded that the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme can provide help in making a decision. 

The scheme helps people with decisions, by providing information about hygiene standards.  Restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways and hotels are included in the scheme, in addition to retail outlets such as supermarkets and other food shops. 

Each business is given a hygiene rating when it is inspected by a food safety officer from Shropshire Council, to show how closely the business is meeting the requirements of food hygiene law. 

The council’s food safety team has been rating premises since June 2010, and was one of the first in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to work in partnership with the Food Standards Agency to provide this consistent approach.  The team has now awarded food hygiene ratings to almost 2,000 premises across the county.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for food safety, said:

“With Christmas fast approaching and many people organising gatherings with family, friends or work colleagues at local restaurants, pubs and hotels, we would urge people to not just check out the menu, but check the food hygiene rating as well.

“The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme has been designed to make sure that the ratings given to businesses are fair.  It rewards those businesses that are achieving high standards and also helps to bring up standards in those that require improvement.  The scheme plays an important role in the council’s wider work to protect consumers and drive up standards in the food industry.

“Christmas partygoers can check the rating online, in advance, or look out for the distinctive green and black stickers that businesses are encouraged to display to tell their customers the rating they have been given.  If these aren’t on display, we would also encourage people to ask businesses if they have been rated and what score they achieved.”

The highest food hygiene rating is five (very good), followed by four (good), three (satisfactory), two (improvement necessary), one (major improvement necessary), and zero (urgent improvement necessary). 

To search for ratings visit shropshire.gov.uk/foodhygienescheme.

More information on the scheme is also available by going to these webpages, on the Facebook page, or by calling the food safety team on 0345 678 9000.

Further information:

• The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is not a guide to food quality.
• When the business is inspected by Shropshire Council, the food safety officer will look at how well the business is meeting the law on food hygiene.  This includes how hygienically the food is handled in preparation, cooking, cooling and storage; the condition and structure of the building including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and equipment; and how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe.
• Any business should be able to achieve the top rating of five.
• Council food safety officers will explain to the person who owns or manages the business if improvements need to be made, what they are, and how they can achieve a higher rating.
• Not all food businesses will have a rating yet and will therefore not be listed on the website.  
• Pictures of the five rated sticker can be found at http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/webpage/ratingsdownloads.