Good Eating

Whether it's a top notch restaurant or your favourite sandwich bar, from
Monday 8 October you will be able to view their food hygiene inspection
result

Kingston Council is taking part in an innovative food hygiene project -
Scores on the Doors- which has just been launched in London. The scheme
will see almost every restaurant and food outlet rated according to
inspections carried out since 1 January 2007, enabling consumers to make
informed choices about where to eat.

Each business will be awarded a star rating following a food hygiene
inspection by Kingston Council's food safety team.  The rating ranges
from Five Stars (Excellent) to No Stars (very Poor) and shows how well
the business complied with food hygiene legislation. The rating also
includes an assessment on the structure and practices within the
business and their ability to handle food safely. Food premises that
fail to meet food hygiene standards will have been advised on what they
must do to improve and that, where appropriate, they could be subject to
legal proceedings.

As part of the scheme businesses are invited to display their rating for
customers to see. Whilst this is voluntary at the moment, it may become
a legal requirement in London in the future. All ratings will be
available for the public to view on the Scores on the Doors website
www.food.gov.uk/scores
Residents can find further information about Scores on the Doors on the
Food Standards Agency website at www.yourlondon.gov.uk/foodscores.

The rating system:
* 5 Stars - Excellent
Very high standards of food safety management.
Fully compliant with food safety legislation.
* 4 Stars - Very good
Good food safety management.
High standard of compliance with food safety legislation.
* 3 Stars - Good
Good level of legal compliance.
Some more effort might be required.
* 2 Stars - Broadly compliant
Broadly compliant with food safety legislation.
More effort required to meet all legal requirements.
* 1 Star - Poor
Poor level of compliance with food safety legislation.
Much more effort required.
* No Stars - Very poor
A general failure to comply with legal requirements.
Little or no appreciation of food safety. Major effort required.
Ends