2,378 (3.5%) food establishments in the South East require improvement to food hygiene standards

It should be mandatory for food hygiene ratings to be displayed at premises in England to help improve hygiene standards as is already the case in Wales and Northern Ireland says GMB Southern

There are 2,378 (3.5%) food establishments in the South East that have a Food Hygiene Rating of 2 or less, those requiring improvement, a new study by GMB Southern region shows. [see notes to editors for household names and national chains that have scored 2 or less in districts / unitary authorities in the South East]

The Isle of Wight has the largest number of food establishments in the South East requiring improvement with 131 (6.8%).

Next in the league with the highest number of food establishments requiring improvement is Wycombe with 105 (10.3%), followed by Brighton and Hove with 101 (3.3%), Slough with 98 (14.2%), Portsmouth with 87 (5%) and Reading with 76 (6.3%).

In the South East region as a whole, 3.5% of food establishments require improvement, lower than the England figure of 5%.

Set out in the table below are the current figures for 67 districts and unitary authorities in the South East showing the number of businesses with a Food Hygiene Rating of 0-2.  These numbers are correct as of 22 September 2017.

It is not just small businesses that need to raise standards. Several chains and household names appear in lists for 157 areas in the East of England, London, South East and Dorset and Wiltshire looked at in this GMB study. These include Bella Italia; Boots; BP Express Shopping ; Burger King; Caffe Nero; Carluccios; Chicken Cottage; Co-op; Costa Coffee; Costcutter; Esso Service Station; Frankie And Bennys; Greggs; Holiday Inn Express; Holland and Barrett; Hilton London Paddington Hotel; Iceland; Kentucky Fried Chicken; IKEA; Londis; Marks And Spencer – Simply Food; Odeon Cinema; Pappa John’s; Patisserie Valerie; Pizza Express; Pizza Hut; Poundland; Premier Express; Riley’s Sports Bar; Slug And Lettuce; Starbucks; Southern Fried Chicken; Spar; Subway; Tesco; Turtle Bay; Waitrose; Waldorf Hilton; Wimpy; WHSmith; and YO! Sushi.

Several outsourced firms also appear on the list including Compass, Interserve, Mitie and ISS. Other notable names are Crystal Palace Football Club, South Norwood, Hornchurch, Staines, West Beckenham and Lymington Conservative Clubs, The Priory Group, Harrow Crown Court and Swindon Borough Council. [See note 7 for all household names by district]

For a full list of food establishments by borough or district showing name and address, rating and last inspection date please see note 8 for links to Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene ratings.

On the back of the study, GMB Southern is calling for it to be made mandatory that Food Hygiene ratings produced by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) must be displayed in the premises of any organisation that sells or provides food in England. Wales introduced mandatory display of food hygiene ratings in November 2013 and Northern Ireland in October 2016.

 Paul Maloney, GMB Southern Secretary, speaking in Brighton at the Labour Party conference said,

“GMB consider that all food premises in England should be forced to display ‘Scores on the Doors’ ratings to improve hygiene standards and protect people from harm.

“These scores are the results of inspections by local authority environmental health teams. They score food outlets from zero to five based on factors such as kitchen cleanliness, cooking methods and food management.

“Outlets inspected include restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways, sandwich shops, supermarkets and delicatessens. Consumers have an absolute right to know what score any outlet they may want to use has got.

“Food outlets in Wales and Northern Ireland are legally required to display their rating. However, in England, outlets do not have to display the rating they have been awarded.

“Those scoring low marks are much less likely to put them on show to customers. Whether it’s the 131 food establishments in the Isle of Wight or the 1 in 7 chance of visiting a potentially dirty or unsafe kitchen in Slough the public should have a right to know the score.

“Food hygiene standards and compliance levels have risen since the scheme was introduced in Wales.

“Making the display of hygiene ratings on the door compulsory in England would incentivise food outlets to improve or maintain high hygiene standards. This would reduce the risk of illness for customers, improve consumer confidence and save taxpayers’ money by reducing the need for, and cost of, enforcement action by councils. Everyone wins.”

ENDS

Contact: Paul Maloney on 07801 343839; Michelle Gordon on 07866 369259

Notes to editors:

1) Source: Food Standards Agency: www.food.gov.uk

2) Ratings are given to places where you can eat out or away from home and places where you shop for food. Business types include Distributors/Transporters; Farmers/growers; Hospitals/Childcare/ Caring Premises; Hotel/bed & breakfast/guesthouses; Importers/exporters; Manufacturers/packers; Mobile caterer; Other catering premises; Pub/bar/nightclub; Restaurant/Café/Canteen; Supermarkets/hypermarkets; Other Retailers; Schools/colleges/universities; and, Takeaway/sandwich shops.

3) The food hygiene rating scheme is run by the Food Standards Agency in partnership with local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Data on Food Hygiene ratings is available from http://ratings.food.gov.uk/

4) Ratings are worked out by a food safety officer inspecting a business to check it meets the requirements of food hygiene law. The inspection officer will check how hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored; the condition of the structure of the buildings – the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities; and, how the business manages what it does to make sure food is safe and so that the officer can be confident standards will be maintained in the future.

5) The hygiene standards found at the time of inspection are rated on a scale. At the bottom of the scale is ‘0’ meaning urgent improvement is required. At the top of the scale is ‘5’ meaning the hygiene standards are very good.

5 = very good

4 = good

3 = generally satisfactory

2 = improvement necessary

1 = major improvement necessary

0 = urgent improvement necessary

6) Wales:  Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013; Northern Ireland: Food Hygiene Rating Act (Northern Ireland) 2016

7) Table of household name companies (where occurring)  that have hygiene ratings of 0-2, those requiring improvement

 8) Links to food establishments by borough or district showing name and address, rating and last inspection date. Please click on web address to go to Food Standards Agency results.