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Food Hygiene Rating Scheme…one year on
3 April 2012
The borough’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme has just celebrated its
first anniversary and is already showing signs of success in
raising hygiene standards. One year ago approximately 75% of
businesses were rated as either good or very good (4 or 5), the
latest figures show that this has risen to around 85%.
The national scheme, launched locally by Scarborough Borough
Council at the end of March 2011, has been developed by the Food
Standards Agency in partnership with local authorities and food
business representatives. The object of the scheme is to provide
consumers with at-a-glance information about hygiene standards in
food businesses found during planned inspections. The aim is to
help consumers make informed choices about where to eat out or shop
for food and also assist in driving up food hygiene standards
generally.
The scheme covers most businesses that supply food directly to
consumers, including; restaurants, shops, cafes, takeaways,
delicatessens, care homes, hotels and pubs. Each business is given
a rating, 5 represents very good hygiene standards and 0 shows that
urgent improvement is found to be necessary.
Each food business receiving a rating is issued with a sticker
and certificate showing their rating which they are encouraged to
display at the premises. Ratings are also published on a national
website www.food.gov.uk/ratings
At launch over 600 food businesses in the borough had received a
rating; one year on this has doubled and risen to almost 1,300.
Further premises are being added as they are inspected under the
routine inspection programme.
Steve Pogson, Scarborough Borough Council’s Health and Community
Safety Manager said:
“We have been very pleased with the response to the scheme since
it was launched a year ago. It is particularly pleasing to note the
improvement in the ratings which I believe shows that food
businesses in our area are now fully aware of how a good rating can
be good for their business.”
Catriona Stewart, Head of the Food Hygiene Ratings team at the
Food Standards Agency added:
“Scarborough Borough Council was one of the first local
authorities to adopt the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, and it’s great
to see the impact it has had in driving up hygiene standards in
food outlets in the area. Now over 200 councils are using this
national scheme, so people from Scarborough to Swansea have the
opportunity to compare hygiene ratings when choosing where to eat
out.”