Ashfield District Council: Hygiene Ratings Now Visible When Eating Out

Hygiene Ratings Now Visible When Eating Out

Date: 21st March 2011

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

Ashfield District Council has announced the introduction of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) across the district from 21st March, 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 choose where to eat out or shop for food.

Food outlets such as restaurants, takeaways and pubs, are inspected by food safety officers from Ashfield District Council, to check that 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’).

Food hygiene team

These ratings will be available for anyone to view on the FSA website at food.gov.uk/ratings and the food businesses 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.

Ashfield District Council's Interim Head of Health and Housing 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 real incentive for food businesses to seek to make improvements to their hygiene standards.”

Catriona Stewart, Head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team at the FSA said: “We are encouraging as many local authorities as possible to run the FHRS so it is great news that Ashfield District Council is the latest to announce their intention to use it.”

“Around a million people suffer from food poisoning every year and our aim 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 the place they prefer to visit.”

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