The food hygiene rating system has been around for a few years now and has gained a lot of publicity. All you need to do is check the local papers and see that its becoming increasing popular for social media to publicise food businesses that have a poor “food hygiene rating”.

So why do so many food businesses still have a poor food hygiene rating? Could it be ignorance, can’t be bothered as long as sales continues or a total disregard to legal requirements?

The impact of a poor food hygiene rating includes; poor business reputation, increase risk of prosecution, increase risk of customer complaints etc. 

Advantages of having and maintaining a good food hygiene rating includes; good business reputation/ publicity, better sales, less customer complaints, shows that management is committed to good food hygiene practices etc.

Are you a food business owner?  As a business you should ensure that obtaining and maintaining a good food hygiene rating is a priority.

There are resources available to help you keep on top. This can be either through your local Environmental Health department or by engaging a food safety consultant.
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Bisi Oladipupo

​In December 2015 a complaint had been received that ham and cheese was being transported in a non-refrigerated van. Summing up the case the District Judge said: “The defence hasn’t provided any evidence that the driver in question on December 9, 2015, had been sufficiently trained. Read full article from here:

Raw milk may sound like an interesting food trend to try, but is it safe?
It was recently reported that six people had fallen ill after buying and drinking raw milk from a farm in Cumbria. 
Sales of the product, from the Low Sizergh Barn Farm in Kendal, have now been suspended while the local council and Food Standards Agency (FSA) investigates what happened. Read full article from here:

The regulations will not force takeaway firms to print their actual rating on their leaflets but they will need to print a bilingual statement pointing to a website where it can be found. Wales became the first part of the UK in 2013 to force food businesses like restaurants and takeaways to display ratings on their premises.
Read full article from here:

Following the recent jail sentence of a business owner following can a food business afford not to train their staff?
In addition to that, can any food business afford not to fully comply with the Food Information Regulations 2014?
We offer the CIEH Level 2 Award in Food Allergen Awareness and further services to assist you in complying with the new allergen regulations.  Contact us today for further information.

Thousands of people a year are still suffering potentially lethal allergic reactions to food in restaurants, despite new rules demanding clearer warnings of dangerous ingredients.
Dr Chun-Han Chan, Food Allergy Expert at the FSA, said many establishments are not yet providing the information their customers need. Read full article from here:

The FSA is seeking your comments on new consolidated advice for food business operators and local authorities on the production of rare burgers. Deadline 31st March 2016. Link from here: