Customers will be better informed when eating out in East Devon, thanks to the introduction of a new scheme about hygiene standards of food outlets

CUSTOMERS will be better informed when eating out in East Devon, thanks to the introduction of a new scheme which tells them about the hygiene standards of food outlets.

EDDC’s Environmental Health Team believes you have the right to know more about the hygiene standards in food businesses you are visiting. So the council is introducing the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) across the district from this week, to coincide with National Food Safety Week.

This national scheme, developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities, provides information on food hygiene standards to help people to choose where to eat out or shop for food.

Food outlets, such as restaurants, takeaways and pubs, are inspected by Food Safety Officers from the Council’s Environmental Health Service to check that their hygiene standards meet legal requirements.

The hygiene standards found at these inspections are rated on a scale ranging from zero, which means urgent improvement necessary, to a top rating of five (very good).

These ratings will be available on the FSA website at www.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. Customers can easily see them and decide if they want to go in.

There are benefits for local food businesses and the people that eat and shop in them. The public will be able to use the ratings when deciding which outlets to visit and EDDC hopes food companies will recognise that displaying a good hygiene rating is good for business.

When customers expect to see a rating, there is a real incentive for food businesses to seek to make improvements to their hygiene standards.

Many of the businesses in East Devon have been inspected and given ratings already and the remaining premises are due to be inspected and added to the scheme over the next 12 months. The scheme is rolling out across the whole Devon over Food Safety Week to provide a uniform service to

consumers.