Food poisoning is a serious public health issue, with hundreds of thousands of cases every year in the UK.
The CIEH believes more can be done to reduce this figure and supports the introduction of a national "Scores on Doors" rating scheme which would allow food businesses to display the results of food inspections at their premises, and in addition, display this information on the web. This scheme would give consumers the information they need to differentiate between premises that follow good procedures and those that do not.
Similar schemes have been adopted in the United States and in some countries in Europe, where they have been welcomed by consumers and regulators. A recent study by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services revealed that restaurant grading systems were effective in reducing food-borne illnesses.
What the CIEH is doing
We launched a public relations campaign back in 2004, attracting significant media attention as well interest from a variety of stakeholders including the Food Standards Agency and HM Treasury. The matter was debated at our annual conference and following this, a number of local authorities started to publish hygiene reports.
We worked through our policy officers to consider implementation of a national Scores on the Doors scheme and our London Regional Policy Officer supported the working group of the London scheme.
A paper by the CIEH, Publication of Hygiene Inspection Information, was discussed by the Food Standards Agency’s Enforcement Liaison Group.
Current Situation
The Food Standards Agency is planning to introduce a national scheme so that consumers across the UK can obtain information on businesses in their areas. You can read the latest updates on the scheme on the FSA website.
The CIEH believes that a single national scheme is best for consumers, business and regulators. Whilst the details remain to be determined, the CIEH believes that the key principles are that the scheme should:
- Be readily visible and easily understood by consumers
- Provide incentives for food businesses to improve hygiene standards so that they are fully compliant with the law
- Include safeguards to ensure fair and equitable treatment for businesses
- Be simple to operate and consistently applied across the country
- Be based on sound evidence of effectiveness
- Be fully supported and widely promoted by the FSA
- Be regularly monitored and reviewed
For more information, visit www.food.gov.uk/scores