Food Standards Agency advises to check restaurant hygiene ratings this Christmas

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has released results of a poll which has found 44 percent of adults in the Midlands never check the food hygiene ratings of places they plan to eat in.

With Christmas fast approaching, the FSA is urging people to check hygiene ratings before planning and booking a festive meal.

Restaurants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must meet requirements set out by food hygiene law, and the hygiene rating that is awarded indicates how well these requirements are being met, with the scale going from zero to five.

Numerous restaurants display stickers so customers are easily aware of the rating they have been awarded and all results can be found on the FSA website.

Emma Richbell, an Environmental Health officer, remarked: “I often think that consumers would be surprised at which restaurants fall short of good practice.”

Despite the fact that 27 percent of meal planners are worried about whether or not the food will be enjoyable at a restaurant, the poll has revealed just two percent of people said that food hygiene standards were their primary concern.

Rachel Deane, a second-year Finance and Accounting undergraduate, said: “I never really check the hygiene rating of restaurants. I usually like eating at chain restaurants, so I feel like there isn’t a need because they are well-established.”

Esther Suresh, second-year Law with Humanities student, echoed this view: “I haven’t really had a bad experience when I’ve eaten at chains, so I haven’t been inclined to check food ratings. If I wasn’t happy with the food, then I think I would check in the future before going back, but I haven’t felt the need to as of yet.”

With many people thought to be booking their Christmas meals over the coming weeks, Catriona Stewart, head of the Food Hygiene Rating Schemes, encourages everyone to check up on hygiene ratings and to ‘look before you book’.

The FSA poll also revealed found that more than a third of people in the Midlands have had a bad experience eating out.