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Cleaning Hygiene Today September 2016

CHTMAG.COM HEALTH & SAFETY FEATURE eat out, or behind the scenes at the places they shop.” STOCKTON Of course Pedro’s is far from the only offender. Big Mama’s Italian takeaway in Stockton on Tees was recently closed after failing a food hygiene investigation. As a sign of the times all the information about why seems to have come out over social media and is therefore mostly rumour but rodents crop up again and again. According to local news site gazettelive. co.uk Stockton Council said: “Environmental health officers carried out an inspection of Big Mamma’s take-away last night which identified food hygiene related issues. “Investigations are continuing and the business has closed so that these issues can be addressed. Council officers will continue to monitor the takeaway to make sure that there is no risk to public safety.” Apparently customers were present in the establishment when the inspection took place and one person claimed on Facebook that they had already paid for their food when they overheard the inspector advise Big Mama’s to close in order to address several issues. MERTHYR TYDFIL Of course poor hygiene is one thing, lying about it is quite another. A shop on Bridge Street in Merthyr Tydfil was recently accused of posting a sticker in a window showing a rating of five out of five when the actual rating was one out of five. After failing to change the sticker the owner, a Mr. Kinili, was issued with a fixed penalty notice but failed to pay his fine. Hygiene standards in cafes, restaurants, bars and even office canteens are a concern for many people up and down the country. The good news is that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) approves 91 per cent of food outlets they inspect. The bad news is that nine per cent of all the food outlets in the UK is a very large number. What this means is that roughly one in 11 outlets in England, Wales and Northern Ireland get a score of less than three on the ratings system everyone will recognise from the green scorecards in buildings up and down the country. Companies only get this low score if their food is actually dangerous to eat and therefore causes an imminent risk to public health. In 2013 the Guardian published an article which revealed that of all the towns and places across the three countries only Craigavon in Northern Ireland saw every single outlet in the area pass. On the other end of the spectrum Bexley was the worst offender with barely two thirds passing. Also businesses aren’t obliged to display the infamous green scorecards but many do, presumably those with good scores. But, distasteful as it may be, the worst stories are often far more interesting than the best. For example in the last month alone there are dozens of news stories exposing offenders all over the land. DUDLEY Pedro’s Indian Cuisine (CHT can’t explain the name) in Kingswinford, West Midlands was ordered to pay over £7,000 in fines and costs after failing a recent inspection. The floors were reportedly mouldy, food was being stored in mouldy containers and much of the food in the fridge was rotting. The clincher though is the dead rat found at the side of the restaurant and the rat droppings under the sink. Of course this is all very worrying but still, like a bad car crash, there is a certain sick pleasure in reading about it. Apparently at Pedro’s staff weren’t even trained in food hygiene practices and all of this resulted in the restaurant receiving a zero out of five when inspected. In the end the owners went to Dudley Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to a total of eight offences. expressandstar.com reported a comment from Rachel Harris, cabinet minister responsible for health and wellbeing. She said: “We much prefer to work with businesses to secure compliance with the law, but we will not hesitate to take legal action against the minority of food business proprietors who do not take our advice on board and who fail to meet their legal responsibilities. “Nearly half of all food outlets in the borough are achieving the top hygiene rating of five and the vast majority achieve a satisfactory rating of three or more. I would urge consumers to check out hygiene ratings online as these will give consumers a glimpse of what is going on in the kitchen when they Roughly one in 11 outlets in England, Wales and Northern Ireland get a score of less than three ” SEPTEMBER 2016 17 CLEANING HYGIENE TODAY


Cleaning Hygiene Today September 2016
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