To mark the second anniversary of the introduction of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, or "scores on the doors" as it has been dubbed, Denbighshire County Council is highlighting the fact that are available online are the ratings for food establishments across the county, including Llangollen and district.
In Denbighshire as a whole, officers have visited 1,012 businesses over the past two years: 699 were rated '5', the highest possible rating; five rated '0,' the lowest score possible. In that time there were five prosecutions, five simple cautions and 59 improvement notices served.
The ratings can be viewed at www.food.gov.uk/ratings - rather than typing just the word "Llangollen" into the search facility, put in the "LL20" postcode and this gives you a geographical spread of establishments not just in the town but also in neighbouring areas such as Fron and Glyn Ceiriog.
There are nine pages of local ratings to look at, with scores across the whole spectrum being recorded.
Ratings can also be accessed on the move, for free, via the app for Android and iPhone.
Good hygiene is good for business - that's the message from the county council as it raises awareness of food hygiene issues amongst businesses
Recent data shows that currently just over 83% of businesses across Wales have a rating of 3, 4 or 5, compared with just under 77% this time last year, and there has been a decline in those businesses that have been given a low rating of 0, 1 or 2, from 23% in September 2011 to just under 17% now.
Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member with responsibility for Food Safety said: "The Hygiene Rating Scheme was brought in to introduce standards and more of a level playing field. Customers know a lot more about the scheme nowadays and so do people responsible for running food premises. They are fully aware of the cleanliness standards expected and the majority comply with the regulations.
" A national publicity programme was launched before the scheme began and we are taking this opportunity to continue raising the profile of the scheme. It seems as if the majority of people are heeding the message.
Emlyn Jones, Food Health and Safety Manager for Denbighshire said: "Our initial approach is one of prevention and education. We want to work with businesses to ensure they comply with the law and most importantly, ensure the health and well-being of customers who decide to purchase and eat goods purchased.
"We will also continue with enforcement action against those individuals or companies that fail to comply with improvement notices or who wilfully neglect to follow the stringent guidelines in place. There is simply no excuse for it."
No comments:
Post a Comment