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New hygiene ratings for food outlets on the way
CUSTOMERS eating out in Leighton-Linslade and Central Bedfordshire will soon be better informed, thanks to the introduction of a new scheme which will tell them about the hygiene standards of food outlets.
Central Bedfordshire Council has announced that it will switch from its Scores On The Doors scheme to a new way of displaying the hygiene standards of food businesses to consumers.
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) will be launched across Central Bedfordshire from April 2012.
This national scheme, developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, provides information on food hygiene standards to help people to choose where to eat out or shop for food. The new scheme will build on the great success of the ‘Scores on the Doors’ scheme that Central Bedfordshire Council has been running for the last six years.
Food outlets, such as restaurants, takeaways and pubs, are inspected by food safety officers from Central Bedfordshire Council, to check that their hygiene standards meet legal requirements. The hygiene standards found at these inspections are then 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 is so that their customers can easily see them and decide if they want to go in.
Around one million people suffer from food poisoning every year, and the FSA’s aim in developing the FHRS is to reduce this number. 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.
Councillor Brian Spurr, Executive Member for Sustainable Communities said: “Although our own ‘Scores on the Doors’ scheme has been both pioneering and highly successful, we have opted to change to the FHRS, as we can see the benefits for local food businesses and the people that eat or shop in them. Having a single scheme which is consistent nationwide means that the rating will have the same significance wherever people are buying food. The public will be able to use the information when deciding which food outlets to visit, and we hope that food companies will recognise that displaying a good hygiene rating is good for business.”
You may also be interested to know that Central Bedfordshire Council will be holding seminars for local businesses to attend to tell them more about the switch to the national scheme and to give them the opportunity to ask questions. However as places are limited, contact Maurice Clay in advance on 0300 300 5066 to let him know which date your business would like to attend:
- Wednesday, February 29, 5pm, The Rufus Centre, Steppingley Road, Flitwick, Bedfordshire MK45 1AH.
- Thursday, March 1, 11.30am, Central Bedfordshire Council, Watling House, Dunstable, High Street North, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 1LF.
- Friday, March 2, 4pm, Central Bedfordshire Council, Priory House, Chicksands, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5TQ.
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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