Over 100 hundred kitchens in Wales have a ‘zero’ hygiene rating, it has been revealed.
All food outlets in Wales must display their food hygiene rating on their front doors or in the window, revealing 118 kitchens with a ‘zero’ rating. The zero rated premises include restaurants, pubs, takeaways, sweet shops and even a school.
The rating must be displayed at every entrance to the premises. The hygiene scores are also listed on the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) website.
The rating is based on three elements:
A spokeswoman for FSA said: “Every business is capable of getting a five. Businesses are not given a zero then left alone. If there’s a risk to public health there are certain procedures in place, and the inspectors would be working with businesses on the actions they need to take.”
The scores are regularly reviewed and can change. It is the responsibility of local councils to update the ratings. Some businesses on the zero-rated said that they had already improved their scores and expected to receive new ratings shortly.
Iain Stuart-Scobie, who runs the zero-rated Iain’s Country Restaurant in Laleston, near Bridgend, believes that the rating system needed an overhaul, with too much concentration on “ticking boxes”.
He said that it was a one off incident involving a single rat, which happened to coincide with a visit from an inspector, that caused his rating to fall from three to zero.
“Even the pest control man stated it was a one-off, not an infestation. I personally think there’s too little criteria on the actual experience and what’s going on in a restaurant. There’s a lot that’s wrong with the system.”
The new legislation aims to drive up standards within the food industry, giving consumers the opportunity to make informed decisions about where they choose to eat out or shop for food.
“People want to know that the places where they are buying or eating their food are hygienic and safe,” a Welsh government spokesman said.
