Stroud District Council’s environment committee, under the chairmanship of Green Councillor Simon Pickering, has issued a press release advising us to check food hygiene ratings for any restaurants and food businesses that we’ll be using this Christmas.
Food hygiene ratings run from 0 to 5 and are issued by the Food Standards agency. They can easily be checked online at food.gov.uk/ratings, and you can also look out for the green and black sticker in restaurant or cafe windows. A high rating gives peace of mind that food is handled safely.
Councillor Pickering said:
“I don’t want to be a party pooper, but the last thing you want is to be ill before Christmas and it really is easy for people in the district to check hygiene ratings online and choose a restaurant for their Christmas party which takes food hygiene seriously. This is an important time for local businesses. A good food hygiene rating is something to be proud of. It matters to customers so we are encouraging all businesses in the area to display their rating and have a prosperous Christmas season.”
In the Stroud district, of the 794 businesses on the scheme, 95% have a food hygiene score of three or more.