Knowhow-Now Article

You might have noticed little green and black stickers appearing in the windows of restaurants and cafes all over the UK and wondered what those mysterious numbers mean. A closer look would show you that this eatery is displayed its food hygiene rating, literally the “scores on the doors”. Anyone who has suffered with food-borne illness or worried about the standards of careful food preparation in the hidden kitchens in any given restaurant will immediately see the value of this initiative.

In England and Wales in 2010, there were nearly 85,000 cases of food poisoning, with many more unreported. The most common causes of food poisoning include poorly-handled meat and dairy products which are vulnerable to contamination. Horribly uncomfortable, symptoms include nausea, sickness, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. Food poisoning is treated by drinking lots of water, rest and eating easily digestible foods like dry toast and bananas. Because you lose lots of essential mineral salts when vomiting and experiencing diarrhoea, it is a good idea to add oral rehydration salts to the replacement fluids. More than 2-3 days of these symptoms will require medical treatment.

The economic impact of food poisoning is estimated to be about 1.5 billion pounds a year. The concept of a consistent, nationwide food standards rating aims to tackle this loss to the economy, drive up standards of hygiene and therefore increase turnover. This is of course beneficial to customers and businesses alike. Those green and black stickers give customers an important message. When visiting a new town, for example, a diner might previously have simply had to hope that the kitchen was run hygienically. Now, they can expect to see a sign on the door telling them the score that establishment received on its last inspection. This of course only reflects the hygiene standards on the day of inspection, but it certainly gives a good guideline.

Businesses who don’t volunteer the information on their doors are likely to experience a loss in custom as diners become more savvy to this national approach to certifying hygiene. You the customer are far more likely to stop at the food joint displaying its 4 or 5 than one that has a lower score (those establishments will be working together with the local council to improve, and those scoring very badly face temporary closure while they improve kitchen structure and standards) or no poster at all (a sign of embarrassment, you might conclude).

So when you are next visiting a different city, or maybe just trying out a new restaurant in your home town, check out their food hygiene rating online, or look out for posters in the window. From country pubs in deepest darkest Devon, to luxurious Leeds restaurants, every food establishment has a rating, and of course, the higher the number, the better the standards, and the greater your peace of mind.

Jesse Wallace writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

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