Christmas diners urged to ‘Take a look before you book’

Anyone organising a gathering with family, friends or work colleagues at a local restaurant, pub or hotel is being urged by the Borough Council to check out the food hygiene rating as well as the menu before deciding where to go.

Good food hygiene is getting easier to spot these days with the recent introduction of the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. Restaurants, pubs, hotels, (as well as cafes, takeaways and other places that sell or serve food) are now being rated from 0 - 5 on their hygiene standards when a food hygiene inspection is carried out by the Borough Council’s Environmental Health Inspectors. Currently the Borough Council has 440 premises rated on the web site with more to be listed in the coming months.

It’s easy to check out the ratings by looking them up online at: food.gov.uk/ratings. Christmas party goers can also look out for the distinctive green and black stickers that businesses are encouraged to display at their outlets to tell their customers the rating they were given.

Councillor David Cope Executive Member responsible for Environment and Housing said: ‘When dining out, you’ll choose to go to a place where you like the food and you know you’ll have a good time. It makes sense to look before you book and check out the food hygiene rating as well.’

Catriona Stewart, Head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) added: ‘The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is all about putting the consumer first, supplying people with useful information on which to base their choice of where to eat. The FSA is working in partnership with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and other local authorities to introduce this scheme nationally. It means that when you eat out - be it in the area you live or further away - you can easily compare hygiene standards of different food outlets.

Recent research by the Agency has shown that nearly 17 million people suffer from stomach upsets in the UK every year and many more instances go unreported. Nobody wants to have their Christmas festivities ruined and as far as food hygiene ratings go there’s safety in numbers - so it’s good to know. 

 ENDS