Food hygiene in North Kesteven is ahead of national trends

Figures released by The Food Standards Agency for 2016/17 show that nationally 85 per cent of inspections were achieved, down 2.6 per cent from the previous year.

NKDC carried out all of its planned inspections throughout the year, with 96.64 per cent of premises rated as broadly compliant with food hygiene law – a rating of three to five. Again, this is higher than the national average of 89 per cent.

Food related complaints in the district fell by 24.3 per cent from the previous year, whereas nationally this has risen by 23.5 per cent.

Coun Peter Burley, Executive Board member with a special interest in Environment and Public Protection, welcomed the results.

He said: “These figures show that people can have real confidence when they’re buying food in the district, whether they’re eating out or purchasing something to have at home.

“It’s important consumers know they’re buying from somewhere that has been inspected and meets the standards they expect.

“We take our responsibility to assess places that sell food for public consumption very seriously. It is important we keep up the good work so that people can remain confident in their food purchasing.”

Food hygiene is rated on a zero to five system – a zero rating means urgent improvement is necessary, while a five is very good.

Inspections consider everything from how food is handled, prepared and cooked to the condition of the buildings, including the cleanliness, lighting, layout and ventilation, to how a business manages and records what it has in pace to make sure food is safe.

You can check an establishment’s food hygiene rating by looking for the green and black sticker on the site or online at www.food.gov.uk