CUSTOMERS in Liverpool will be better informed when eating out, thanks to the introduction of a new scheme which tells them about the hygiene standards of food outlets.
Liverpool City Council has announced that it will switch to a new way of displaying the hygiene standards of food businesses to consumers. The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) has been launched in the city.
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 success of the previous local web based ‘Scores on the Doors’ scheme that Liverpool City Council has been running.
It can happen to anyone
Food outlets, such as restaurants, takeaways and pubs, are inspected by food safety officers, 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’).
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.
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.
