Food Hygiene Rating Scheme goes live in a further seven District Councils

rticipating councils. Today’s launch sees Antrim, Ballymena, Limavady, Lisburn, Moyle, Larne and Newtownabbey councils joining the scheme.

This summer, the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme will rate the food hygiene standards of over 14,000 local businesses where people can eat or buy food, from cafes and restaurants to supermarkets and delis.

Under the scheme, food businesses are rated on a scale of zero to five with zero meaning ‘urgent improvement necessary’ and the top rating of five representing a ‘very good’ standard of food hygiene. Around three quarters of food businesses in Northern Ireland have received one of the top two ratings.

Although businesses are not legally obliged to show their rating in their window, Northern Ireland has the highest rates of display throughout the UK with half of businesses choosing to display their ratings. Even where a business doesn’t show their rating, consumers can always check them online at food.gov.uk/ratings.

Sharon Bateson, Environmental Health Manager at Moyle District Council advised: “The interest from food businesses in Moyle has been exceptional with many recognising that a good food hygiene rating is good for business. The benefits of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme are that local businesses can now be rewarded for high standards of hygiene whilst consumers can rely on a consistent and transparent approach to food hygiene right across Northern Ireland, England and Wales. We would urge consumers to check the ratings regularly as they may change after a business has had a food safety inspection.”

Stephen and Teresa Boyle of The Bay Café added: “The scheme is a real opportunity for food businesses like ours to showcase how seriously we take food hygiene. It’s easy for consumers to use and hopefully will bring more business to food outlets like ours who take pride in our rating.”

A business receives a rating based on information from routine food hygiene inspection programmes carried out by council food safety officers. The hygiene rating tells you the standards of hygiene found at the time of the inspection and therefore ratings may change over time. To find out more about the scheme or check out food hygiene ratings log on to food.gov.uk/ratings.