TENS of thousands of people are checking on hygiene ratings for their local pubs, shops and restaurants.
Council officials in Huddersfield have been staggered by the interest in the new Scores on the Doors scheme, which gives out star ratings for food hygiene.
More than 800 business have so far been checked by the council. Many have been given five-star and four-star ratings – but a number have got no stars.
The Scores on the Doors food hygiene scheme run by Kirklees Environmental Services has been in place for a month. It has already been hailed a success, with tens of thousands of ‘hits’ on a special website giving details of the star ratings of food premises.
The scheme posts the results of food hygiene inspections carried out by Kirklees Environmental Health officers on to the Scores on the Doors website in a user-friendly way for the public.
And it has attracted 47,500 ‘hits’ so far.
The rating is awarded during routine food hygiene inspections that are carried out on a regular basis. Restaurants, takeaways and food retail outlets are given a star rating between zero and five, with five being excellent and zero very poor.
Stars will be allocated once hygiene and safety, structural compliance and confidence in management to have high levels of food hygiene have been taken into account.
Premises which have been inspected are given a certificate which they can display and those with low ratings are given advice about how to improve.
Food premises that have been inspected since January this year are listed on the website. So far about 800 are listed and more are being added weekly.
Ratings will be reassessed when the next food inspection is programmed and this will encourage food businesses to improve.
The Scores on the Doors website has had over 47,500 hits from members of the public seeking out the hygiene standards at the places they are eating.
Rachel Wetherill, Kirklees’s food safety manager, said: “The number of inquiries has been staggering, far more than we expected.
“We are constantly giving out advice to retailers and caterers.”
Clr Martyn Bolt, Kirklees Cabinet’s member with responsibility for the environment, said:P “We are confident that as a result of the scheme there will be an improvement in hygiene standards at food premises.
“The information provided informs potential customers about the standard of hygiene and helps them make an informed choice on where to eat and buy their food.”
The website can be reached using a link from Kirklees Council’s website at www.kirklees.gov.uk or direct by visiting
www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk
