FOR the first time customers in the district will be able to find out how clean their local eateries after the council made food hygiene scores public.
Last week Epping Forest District Council followed local authorities from throughout the country by posting the food hygiene ratings of every establishment in the area on the website of the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The ratings range from 0, which indicates that urgent improvement is necessary, to 5, which indicates excellent levels of hygiene.
Businesses will be encouraged to display their rating on their premises, but there will be no legal obligation to do so.
Previously, many local authorities ran their own independent Scores on the Doors schemes in which businesses were given a sticker with their environmental health rating to put on their window.
The new website was launched by the FSA in 2010 and the district council was waiting until a number of London boroughs had piloted a new, clearer grading scheme before posting the information on it.
The news comes after a Freedom of Information request by the Guardian, which revealed the establishments in the district which received the most food hygiene improvement notices last year.
Paul Parker is the managing director of Church’s Butchers in Epping High Street, that received a 5 rating.
He said: “People have a right to know what the hygiene standards are in places where they are spending their money.
“I think all establishments should be obliged to display their rating by law.
Rekha Patel, whose restaurant the Clocktower in Station Road, Epping, received a 3 or ‘good’ rating said: “If you are in a slightly older building it can be difficult to receive the very highest marks as you don’t have the custom built premises of other institutions.
“I am definitely in favour of the scheme but it should be clearer on the site why a particular rating was given, people should be able to know the background.”
The ratings can be found at http://ratings.food.gov.uk/.
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