March 28, 2012 10.54 am This story is over 143 months old

New food rating scheme to be used in Lincoln

New star ratings: The City Council joined a national scheme, which will rate all food outlets in the region in a different way.

Lincoln residents will be able to make a better choice when eating out, due to a new scheme detailing hygiene standards of food outlets.

The City of Lincoln Council will work with North Kesteven, South Kesteven, and South Holland district councils to encourage food businesses to display their hygiene standards through the national scheme.

The scheme was developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) alongside local authorities, building on the original Scores on the Doors scheme.

Now, restaurants, takeaways and pubs will be inspected by food safety officers from the council to check the standards, and then rated between 0 and 5.

Ratings can then be viewed on the FSA website, while businesses get a certificate and a sticker to display in their shop unit.

The FSA hopes the scheme will bring down the number of cases of food poisoning across the UK, which currently stands at around one million people every year.

The scheme gives residents a better picture of how their food is prepared before making a decision on where to eat.

The City Council’s Food, Health and Safety Team Manager Sara Boothright said: “Although we have run our own successful food hygiene scheme, we have opted to change to the FHRS, as we can see the benefits for local food businesses and the people that eat or shop in them.

“Having a single scheme that is consistent nationwide means that the rating will have the same significance wherever people are buying food.

“The public will be able to use the information when deciding which food outlets to visit, and we hope that food companies will recognise that displaying a good hygiene rating is good for business.”

Source: City of Lincoln Council | Photo: Daniel Carlbom