Bradford Council set to switch to national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
Until this year, Bradford Council has been using a star rating to inform customers of the hygiene rating of restaurants and other food outlets. By April, however, the Council hopes to have switched over to the Food Standards Agency’s new national rating scheme that replaces the stars with a numerical score.
This new scheme will not only establish nationally-recognised scores that enable customers to instantly see the hygiene levels of an establishment, but it will also extend to other food outlets. Butchers, greengrocers and even pubs that do not sell food will be included in an attempt to raise awareness about food safety.
The ratings will have to be clearly displayed at the entrance to a business serving food, meaning that companies will have to take their hygiene seriously and ensure that members of staff have undertaken the relevant food safety training.
A good score from the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme can only have a positive effect on a business’ reputation, and it is hoped that this will push business owners to aim for a high score. The results of inspections in Bradford should be available online from April, when the scheme should be up and running.