Preston FoodSafe improves city's hygiene scores

Preston City Council has taken inspiration from America in its latest attempt to improve food hygiene standards across the city.

The Preston FoodSafe scheme displays hygiene scores for Preston’s restaurants and takeaways on the Internet, in order to encourage businesses to increase their compliance levels of food hygiene.

Those that score well are also given certificates that they can showcase in their windows; an idea taken from San Francisco, where it is compulsory for businesses to prove their hygiene ratings to the public.

Preston’s Environmental Health Manager Simon Neighbour said: "The Council has changed the ways inspections are run to achieve more positive outcomes. We need to put pressure on businesses to improve, and give them the fear of customers shopping elsewhere.

"‘Scores on doors’ is a great way of letting the public know which places are the best to visit".

The Council notified businesses of the scheme before it was launched, giving them the opportunity to seek advice about the inspections.

Simon said: "We sent letters to the places where cross contamination was previously noted as a factor of concern, but nobody contacted us for advice.

"We also sent out self-assessment checklists, which outlined all of the areas inspectors check when they visit places."

These included factors such as food waste, personal hygiene, pest control and cleaning schedules.

Preston FoodSafe works around a star rating scheme; three to five stars represent average performance and above, and zero to two stars indicate poorer practise.

Ninety five per cent of Preston’s premises received three stars or more, and Simon confirms that the scheme is helping to improve food hygiene levels throughout the city.

He said: "Formal action is taken towards the businesses which receive no stars. We can get the police involved, and some businesses may go to court."

Alternatively, emergency closures require businesses to shut for a few days to improve hygiene standards before re-opening.

The Council may also issue fines, and the case of the Toy Soldier pub at Deepdale Retail Park showed the influence that these types of inspections can have on businesses.

Simon said: "The Toy Solider was fined £25,000, which isn’t much for a large company like that. But the bad publicity meant that it was shut down and demolished. That was an extreme case of public pressure."

The FoodSafe scores determine the frequency of check-ups from the Council. The worst places have full inspections every six months, with check-ups in between, and those that are broadly compliant are inspected every 12 months.

Simon describes these visits as being more "friendly and educational", saying that if businesses are receptive to the Council’s advice and encouragement, "they win, and the public win".

Large businesses such as McDonalds and KFC show high standards of hygiene, operating regular alarms to remind staff to frequently wash their hands.

Preston’s McDonalds, KFC, Subway and Figaro’s Takeaway all scored five stars.

But as the Preston FoodSafe scheme takes into account the nature of the business and the number of consumers potentially at risk, small owner-operated businesses have just as much chance of receiving five stars as the multi-million pound national chains do.

Takeaways Naafiah, Red Onion, Shanghai House and Spicy Delights were the only places to receive no stars.


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(This Google Map shows some of the restaurants and takeaways that were inspected through the Preston FoodSafe scheme. The green markers represent those premises which received five stars, yellow represents three stars, and the red markers represent those which received either one or no stars.)

Simon said: "Food hygiene is very straightforward, but if you’re work shy, you’re in the wrong business".

He added: "Customers can usually tell which places to be cautious of. If there are weeds outside and flaking paint on the building, it’s probably not going to be much better inside.

"Those are the areas owners can make as impressive as possible, so if they can’t be bothered making an effort there, it’s unlikely they’ll be bothered making an effort in the kitchen."

Preston FoodSafe also inspects cafes, supermarkets, market stalls, bakeries, butchers, schools, hotels, residential homes and hospitals.

Further information can be found at The Food Standards Agency web link, and the Agency’s Code of Practice web link.