Going for gold in food

How safe is the food you're eating? You could soon find out at the click of a button on 30 January 2007 when Stratford-on-Avon District Council launches its Food Hygiene Inspection Ratings scheme on the District Council website.

The scheme will give people an easily accessible and simple way to check the hygiene standards of a café, restaurant or food shop and hotels, Bed & Breakfasts and Guesthouses before eating there or buying food.

After an inspection by the District Council's environmental health team, each food business is given a rating of Gold, Silver, and Bronze, acceptable or unacceptable. Afterwards they get a certificate to display on site, and the results will also be published on the District Council's website, www.stratford.gov.uk so customers can make their choice of restaurant or shop before leaving home.

There are 1,448 food businesses registered by Stratford-on-Avon District Council, and all premises have been assessed on the last formal inspection and these results will be available from the 30th January.

Premises judged unacceptable on inspection have been revisited and standards are now acceptable. However, the original findings will only be altered if, on another inspection, these standards have been maintained or improved. The District Council has been working with the Stratford-upon-Avon Town Management Partnership and Stratford-on-Avon Hospitality Association and has established an advisory group to help ensure the scheme highlights best practice and is a positive addition to supporting local businesses.

"As well as helping the public make more informed choices about where to eat, scores on doors should provide a good incentive to food businesses to continue to improve hygiene standards," says Simon Jackson, Environment Portfolio holder.

"This scheme rewards premises that maintain standards and do not wait for an officer to visit and remind them of their legal responsibilities," says Robert Weeks, Head of Environment at Stratford-on-Avon District Council.  

Ratings in Stratford District are Gold, Silver, Bronze, acceptable, unacceptable. To date there are:

• Gold -199
• Silver - 637
• Bronze - 269
• Acceptable - 243
• Unacceptable - 63

The national scheme is known as Scores on the Doors - http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk/

All unacceptable premises are under review and have been told that they will remain in this category, until they respond and maintain standards at an acceptable level between the re-visit and the next formal inspection, when they could be re-categorised.