Cardiff Council is encouraging residents and visitors to the city to check out the food hygiene rating when dining out this Christmas.
The Council in partnership with the Food Standards Agency Wales (FSAW) is a member of the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme which tells consumers about the hygiene standards of food premises to help them choose where to eat or shop for food.
The advice is, if you’re organising a gathering with family, friends or work colleagues at a local restaurant, pub or hotel don’t just check out the menu, check out the food hygiene rating as well.
Good food hygiene is getting easier to spot 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 rated from 0 – 5 on their hygiene standards when a food hygiene inspection is carried out by Cardiff Council.
It’s easy to check out the ratings by looking them up online at: www.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.
Cllr Ed Bridges, Chairperson of Licensing Committee & Public Protection Committee said:
“Food safety isn’t the first thing people think of when choosing where to go for a night out, but most of us would rather eat somewhere with high food hygiene standards that somewhere with a low score. Our message is simple – look before you book, so you can make sure you have the best possible night out.”
Steven Wearne Director of Food Standards Agency in Wales 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 Cardiff 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.”
