A food safety expert is calling for the mandatory display of food hygiene ratings in England and Scotland and urging consumers to be more proactive in finding the hygiene rating of restaurants and takeaways after research shows that around 60% of people are not aware that displaying hygiene ratings in these regions is voluntary. However, only 20% of people always check ratings before deciding where to eat out.
Bob Mackay, a qualified Environmental Health Practitioner and Technical Director with food, fire and health & safety business Navitas Group believes the move would help create consistency, transparency and greater accountability for food outlets and delivery companies. Only last week an investigation by the BBC found food delivery platforms selling food from restaurants with one star food hygiene ratings while a reporter was able to set up a makeshift ‘takeaway’ and start delivering food without having undergone a food hygiene inspection.
The call comes as Navitas Group releases research on diners’ understanding and perceptions of the food hygiene ratings system. The survey of 2,000 people found that while awareness of the food hygiene ratings schemes is generally good, there is a lower understanding that displaying hygiene ratings is actually voluntary in certain regions. A significant finding for restaurants and takeaways is that discovering a food outlet had a lower than anticipated hygiene rating would put people off eating there almost as much as a poor dining experience.
Awareness of scheme lowest where display is voluntary
- Across the UK & Northern Ireland 75% are aware of food hygiene ratings schemes. However, while a similar (75%) number of people in England are aware of the Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme, only 42% knew that displaying ratings is voluntary.
- In Scotland only 53% of people are aware of the Food Hygiene Information Scheme and only 38% are aware that the display of ratings is voluntary.
- In general awareness levels are highest where display is mandatory: Northern Ireland (98%) and Wales (92%).
Checking food hygiene ratings before eating out
- Just 20% of people say they always check the food hygiene rating before eating in a particular establishment or buying from a takeaway, 57% sometimes check and 23% never do.
- The majority of people (72%) say they check the food hygiene rating of an establishment at the outlet itself. The Food Standards Agency website (31%) and Search Engines (22%) are the next most frequently cited ways of checking a food outlet’s rating.
- The confusion around the display of ratings is perhaps highlighted by the fact that 41% of people in England and 68% of those in Scotland said they check food hygiene ratings in the window of the establishment – although outlets are not obliged to display them.
Influence of stars on eating out choices
- When the five star system was explained to respondents in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 27% said 3 stars (indicating that hygiene standards are generally satisfactory) is the minimum food hygiene rating a food outlet would need for them to consider eating there, 45% said 4 stars (indicating that hygiene standards are generally good) is the minimum, while 13% claimed they would only eat at 5 star establishments (where hygiene standards are very good).
- Only 9% claim that the star rating does not affect their decision of where to eat.
Influence of food hygiene on eating out choices
- The research revealed that finding out a restaurant or takeaway had a lower than anticipated food hygiene rating would put people off eating there almost as much as actually experiencing poor food or service – again highlighting that ratings are an important factor in determining people’s eating out choices.
- 83% say they would either probably not / or definitely not go back to a restaurant or takeaway they discovered had a low rating even if they had enjoyed eating there before and 37% said they would definitely not go back.
- By comparison, 94% say a poor service or food experience would either definitely stop them or make them consider not going back to a food outlet. Some 42% of respondents said they definitely wouldn’t go back.
Bob comments: “Eating out has never been so popular and the choices so varied, and this research shows that people do want to be confident that the food they’re eating away from home has been stored, prepped and cooked safely and correctly and to good hygiene standards. On the other hand the lack of consistency in the display of food hygiene ratings and low awareness is not helping people make informed choices.
“There are thousands of restaurants and takeaways with ratings of two stars or lower in England and or where improvement is required in Scotland. Part of the solution is surely to make display of food hygiene ratings mandatory as it already is in Northern Ireland and Wales. The Food Standards Agency has been doing some great campaigning making diners aware of how and where they can check the ratings and what they mean. But it’s incumbent on everyone in the food and hospitality business right across the country to share that message too. And while the law is as it stands consumers need to understand that if they don’t see a hygiene rating displayed at a food outlet, there’s probably a very good reason for that.”
According to Navitas Group there are a number of key actions restaurants can take to secure or improve their hygiene rating at the next inspection.
Top tips for food outlets to improve food hygiene ratings:
- Take pride in what you do – smart clean staff and well maintained and clean premises can only give a good first impression.
- Education is key – ensure management and staff are trained to a level that ensures they may carry out their work with competence and confidence. Level 2 food hygiene is considered the standard level of training for most food handlers, with managers/supervisors benefitting from completing Level 3 managing food hygiene.
- Ensure that all foods prepared and served are covered by a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point). This appears a bit of a mouthful and the formal terminology can cause some people to shy away from it. In simple terms, a HACCP is a formal process specifies the controls necessary to keep the food safe along its entire journey from the moment of purchase, all the way to the point of sale.
- Follow food safety rules to control risk of cross-contamination. Segregate raw and ready to eat foods during storage and provide separate raw and ready to eat food preparation surfaces and equipment.
- Monitor and maintain the chain of temperature control. Check and record your storage, cooking and display temperatures to demonstrate that all is under control.
- Ensure your staff have confidence to implement and record corrective actions when controls have not been achieved. This may mean rejecting food deliveries that do not meet temperature requirements, or food not achieving correct cooking temperatures.
- Keep all records up to date, logically filed and readily accessible – lost or poorly kept records do not give a good impression for confidence in management, and can be one of the drivers of a low Food Hygiene Rating.
- Introduce a proactive pest control contract with a competent contractor. Why wait for problems to develop when you can receive advice on proofing and general housekeeping arrangements, and have measures already in place to deal with ‘lone intruders’ before they take hold.
- Consider going digital and getting the edge – installing a digital temperature monitoring system provides a reliable extra pair of hands for a fraction of the cost so your team can focus on preparing and serving safe food to your customers.
- Plan ahead and invest in your businesses’ reputation. Seek professional advice from one of Navitas’ qualified Environmental Health Practitioners who can advise on, and verify, the effectiveness of your food and safety procedures.
For further advice and information visit https://www.navitas.eu.com/services#food-safety.