Reading food businesses falling short of food hygiene standards
Following a recent inspection, more than half of the food-serving businesses in Reading have been found to be falling short of food hygiene standards.
Reading Council’s food safety team visited a total of twenty-one premises over the last twelve months, checking for things like cleanliness of premises, safe food storage and preparation and food hygiene training for staff.
What they found was quite shocking; of the 66 test samples that were taken from the knives, chopping boards and other kitchen equipment of Reading eateries, a total of 36 were considered to be below par.
The team warned businesses that even though surfaces may look clean, they could still be harbouring dangerous bacteria such as E.coli that could cause food poisoning.
The eateries which received unsatisfactory results in the inspection have now been notified and advised to make improvements. An excellent starting point for those affected could be to sharpen up food safety training for all staff within the business, moving on to implementing water-tight food hygiene management policies.
If businesses do not show signs of improvement within a reasonable time, they could potentially be shut down by the authorities for endangering public health.