Restaurant Hygiene Scores Now Online

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As 'Scores on the Doors' make inspection results available to consumers

From Michelin starred restaurants to the local café food hygiene inspection results from 80,000 of London’s eateries are now available to the public.

The London Scores on the doors scheme will see almost every restaurant and food outlet in the participating boroughs rated according to their latest food hygiene inspection reports, enabling consumers to make informed choices about where to eat.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) supported pilot will unite a number of existing schemes in London into one consistent, consumer friendly, easy to access website: www.yourlondon.gov.uk/foodscores.

Food outlets will be rated between zero and five stars. A two star rating is defined as largely compliant with national requirements. Restaurants which fail to meet this standard are advised on how to improve and, where necessary, could be subject to enforcement action.

In addition to the website, businesses are being issued with a certificate and window sticker with their star rating on. Currently display is voluntary, but discussions are taking place to make it a legal requirement in London for a business to display its star rating.

Strong public interest in kitchen cleanliness and the desire to drive up food hygiene standards has led to the London-wide pilot, which joins funded pilots in the Midlands and Scotland.

As there are a number of different schemes in operation currently, the FSA has commissioned independent evaluation, with the aim of declaring a preferred national scheme at the earliest opportunity.

CIEH Principal Policy Officer Jenny Morris said, “We are delighted consumers will be able to exercise choice about where to eat, based not only on the menu but also on how conscientious the restaurants are in maintaining hygiene.

“The London scheme will provide an opportunity for the public to access information all in one place, and in a consistent format. Importantly, it will recognise those businesses which work hard to maintain good standards and for others it should drive improvements, which is an outcome we are all seeking”

Supported by the CIEH, the FSA, the Greater London Assembly (GLA), London Councils, the consumer group Which?, London Connects - a pan London agency delivering improved public services through the use of technology - and the Association of London Environmental Health Managers (ALEHM) the public information website can be found at: www.yourlondon.gov.uk/foodscores.

Head of Strategy and Policy Branch at the FSA, Nathan Philippo said, "The Food Standards Agency is pleased to be working with local authorities across the country to deliver scores on the doors. We see increased consumer awareness as a key tool in the future of local authority
engagement with businesses."

Peter Williams Deputy CEO of London Connects said, “This pan London web service demonstrates London’s local authorities’ commitment to keep their customers informed of topics that matter to them. Delivering information locally and across London has resulted in authorities working together for a common cause – shared information and developing a common environmental health practice across London – a benefit to all.”

Participating boroughs include Ealing, Hounslow, Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham and Richmond.

October 12, 2007