Why has food hygiene become less of a concern in the UK?

Posted 5 years ago

Reports have shown that the amount of Food Hygiene Inspections carried out in UK restaurants have fallen by 15% since 2003. This is surprising, as the same reports found that food hygiene is now the number one priority for consumers when dining out. The consumer research also found that diners would rather put up with poor service from rude and unhelpful staff than eat at dirty restaurants.

As well as being a highly-valued practice by consumers, good food hygiene is extremely important as it reduces the risk of:

Food poisoning
Food spoilage
Food contamination
Loss of productivity
Pest infestations
Prosecution for contravention of food safety legislation
Closure of catering operations by enforcement authorities

Even with all of these statistics available, food hygiene safety breaches are more common than you’d like to think. Portsmouth City Council brought prosecutions against two restaurants in Southsea, Hampshire. The two restaurants have been fined thousands of pounds after rats were found in the pantry of one and mouse bait was spilled near food in the other which had “filthy” preparation areas.

The Food and Drink Federation is encouraging people to be aware of the four Cs – Cleanliness, Cooking, Chilling, and Cross-contamination, as their spokesperson Melanie Leech says:

Too many people are unwittingly putting themselves at risk of a nasty dose of food poisoning by using a dirty sponge to clean surfaces or mixing raw meats and ready to eat foods.

Melanie Leech – Spokesperson for The Food and Drink Federation

What are you doing to ensure food safety at your workplace?

Comprehensive training is a legal requirement for those working with consumables. Our course – Food Safety and Hygiene Level 1 – provides you with a solid understanding of food hazards and food poisoning, and it covers contamination, personal hygiene, and cleanliness in the food preparation area, as well as safe storage and waste disposal.

Whether you operate in the Catering, Hospitality, or Retail industry, our programme explains the hazards associated with poor food hygiene, and how you can keep food safe. It also clarifies best practices and helps organisations towards legal compliance in just 45 minutes.

Food Safety and Hygiene Level 2 online course is also available for those directly involved in the preparation and delivery of food.

Here is what some of our amazing clients are saying about our food safety & hygiene courses:

iHasco are excellent at putting courses together. The course is easy to access and the information is so interesting. iHasco tells you everything you need to know about the subject you are studying for and when you’ve completed the test I was able to print my certificate.

P Hilton on February 11th, 2019