Compliance consultancy Shieldyourself has warned food establishments in Manchester to be prepared for the renowned Scores on the Doors hygiene rating system to be introduced across the City Region.
Scores on the Doors is a government backed initiative designed to provide the public with a snapshot of information on the hygiene standards of food businesses that supply consumers, for example mobile vendors, cafes, supermarkets and restaurants.
The aim of the initiative, which has been introduced by 84 local authorities in the UK but has not yet been implemented in Manchester City, is to drive improvements in food hygiene as well as help customers make informed choices about where to eat.
Richard Dawson, Head of Account Management at Shieldyourself, said the Food Standards Agency planned to implement the scheme across all of the UK with Manchester likely to introduce the scheme at some point in the future.
“Liverpool has had the scheme in place for over a year now and already it has seen a marked improvement in scores between the first set of certificates that were allocated and the second,” stated Richard.
“The system has not yet been introduced into the Manchester City Region but it is only a matter of time and it could have a big impact on the city’s food industry, giving customers a real insight into what is happening behind the scenes.”
According to Richard, Manchester’s food businesses should be embracing the Scores on the Doors scheme as an opportunity to put themselves ahead of the competition and get some good publicity from a high score.
As part of the scheme, the scores of all participating business are publicised via the internet on the individual council websites with businesses also encouraged to display their scores in a prominent position on their premises.
“We all know Manchester has some excellent food establishments offering great food at competitive prices so, when it comes to deciding where to go, Scores on the Doors could be an important influencing factor,” added Richard.
“The best thing food business managers can do is be prepared – think about how they performed in their last inspection and how they can improve so that if Scores on the Doors is introduced they have nothing to fear,” he concluded.
Fore more information on how you can ensure your business is fully compliant with health and safety standards, ready for the introduction of Scores on the Doors, visit www.shieldyourself.co.uk
