Hygiene ratings now visible when eating out

4th April 2011

Categories: Latest News

Customers will be better informed when eating out in Adur and Worthing, thanks to the introduction of a new scheme which tells them about the hygiene standards of food outlets.

Adur and Worthing has announced the introduction of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) across the area from 4 April 2011.

This national scheme, developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities, provides information on food hygiene standards to help people to choose where to eat out or shop for food.

Food outlets, such as restaurants, takeaways and pubs, are inspected by food safety officers from Adur and Worthing councils, to check their hygiene standards meet legal requirements. The hygiene standards found at these inspections are rated on a scale ranging from zero at the bottom (which means ‘urgent improvement necessary’) to a top rating of five (‘very good’).

These ratings will be available for anyone to view on the FSA website at food.gov.uk/ratings and the food business will be given a sticker and certificate and encouraged to display these at the entrance to their premises. This means that their customers can easily see them and decide if they want to go in.

Environmental Health Manager, David Bowen said: “We have joined the FHRS as we can see the benefits for local food businesses and the people that eat and shop in them. The public will be able to use the ratings when deciding which outlets to visit and we hope that food companies will recognise that displaying a good hygiene rating is good for business. When customers expect to see a rating, there is a real incentive for food businesses to seek to make improvements to their hygiene standards.”

Head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team, Catriona Stewart  at the FSA said: “We are encouraging as many local authorities as possible to run the FHRS, so it’s great news that Adur and Worthing are the latest to announce their intention to use it. Around one million people suffer from food poisoning every year, and our aim in introducing the scheme is to reduce this. The ratings will give consumers a glimpse of what is going on in the kitchen when they eat out, or behind the scenes at the places they shop, before they make their decision about which place they prefer to visit.”