Restaurants to display hygiene ratings (From The Argus)

Restaurants to display hygiene ratings

8:50am Friday 27th July 2007

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Restaurant-goers and late-night kebab eaters will be able to gauge the hygiene of their chosen eaterie under a new scheme.

A Scores on the Doors project is planned for Brighton and Hove's restaurants, hotels, and cafes.

A food hygiene rating will be displayed outside each outlet based on work by the city council's inspection officers.

An investigation by The Argus earlier this year found that more than half the restaurants inspected on Preston Street, known as restaurant row, were found to be in breach of food safety laws.

One Chinese eaterie had left food to dry in open containers in a cockroach-infested basement when inspectors came to call.

While some of the restaurants won praise, others were told to take immediate action to meet minimum food safety standards.

Environmental health officers found mouldy fridges, raw and cooked foods stored together, dirty walls, floors and surfaces.

Some restaurants had nowhere for workers to wash their hands, while others had no hot water or disinfectant.

The city is one of a number of councils in the South East introducing the system, which has been set up by the Food Standards Agency, to inform tourists and locals.

During the summer a series of meetings is being held by the council's food safety team with restaurateurs, hoteliers and other catering operators to provide information about the scheme due to be launched in October.

Geoffrey Theobald, chairman of the council's environment committee, said: "Scores on the Doors is all about helping people to make informed choices about where to eat - particularly important in Brighton and Hove as we have so many visitors.

"The scheme will celebrate the huge variety of good food available in the city, raise awareness of food hygiene and help to raise standards where necessary."

Similar ratings schemes have proved popular with customers and food businesses in other areas of the country and the US where they have been introduced.

Coun Theobald added: "The council has a good relationship with local restaurants and catering businesses, they are generally very keen to work with us and we will be liaising with them in the run up to the launch of the scheme.

"Scores on the Doors will mean customers know how well food businesses are performing in terms of food safety - and businesses will be able to demonstrate the fact they are meeting high standards."

Gill Mitchell, Labour leader on the council, said: "The Scores on the Doors scheme will make perfect sense to customers who will be now able to see at a glance whether the establishment where they are considering eating is well run in terms of food hygiene.

"I think that the scheme will improve standards overall which is why I have been pressing for its local introduction for some time."

Food safety staff already carry out regular inspections at food businesses and these will form the basis of the ratings, following strict guidelines set down by the Food Standards Agency.

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