14/12/2011 - Permalink

Check out the food hygiene rating when eating out this Christmas

Related topics: Community / Health

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 to decide 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 more than 1,700 premises across the county.
 
Councillor Steve Charmley, 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 look out for the distinctive green and black stickers that businesses are encouraged to display at their outlets to tell their customers the rating they have been given.” 

 
Catriona Stewart, head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), added:

“The scheme is all about putting the consumer first, supplying people with useful information on which to base their choice of where to eat.  The FSA is working in partnership with Shropshire Council and other councils to introduce this scheme nationally. It means that when you eat out – be it in the area you live or further away – you can easily compare hygiene standards of different food outlets.”

 
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 this web address or by ringing 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
–     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