Restaurants told to clean up as new hygiene scores improve safety (From thisisoxfordshire)

Restaurants told to clean up as new hygiene scores improve safety

6:35pm Friday 5th February 2010

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POORLY performing restaurants have been told to get their houses in order as the Scores on the Doors inspection programme gathers pace.

Every restaurant and takeaway in Oxford is being inspected and given a rating between zero and five stars as part of a fresh round of environmental health inspections.

Oxford City Council environmental health officer Richard Kuziara said: “The preconception is that it’s all about walls, floors and structure.

“Unfortunately, the zero and one star premises believe that if they look after those they will be okay. But if they looked after their food safety management all would increase their score.

“You could be cooking food in a crumbling building, but if food hygiene standards are good you are unlikely to poison anyone.”

The Scores on the Doors scheme was introduced six months ago as a way of making food hygiene reports available to the public.

The city council is currently visiting every restaurant and takeaway in the city.

To date, there are 11 zero-rated, or very poor, restaurants and takeaways in Oxford; 36 one star, or poor; 125 two star, or fair; 194 three star, or good; 287 four star, or very good, and 138 five star, or excellent, premises.

Heath officers not only call without notice to inspect the cleanliness of a restaurant and its kitchen, they also examine the practices and procedures in place to make sure food is being prepared safely.

They check to see if surfaces are clean, how restaurants store food, how they avoid cross contamination and how they cook, cool and then reheat food.

One of the latest premises to be inspected is Top Wok, in Church Cowley Road, which was given a one star rating.

Inspectors found food safety procedures were inadequate and thought there was a risk of cross contamination.

A notice calling on the business to improve its food safety management will be served.

Owner Graham Chan said: “Whatever the environmental health want me to do I will do.

“We are probably not the best, but we are definitely not the worst.”

Mr Kuziara said: “Most of the premises in Oxford are broadly compliant. That means they have three stars or above.

“Since Scores on the Doors started, however, poorly-performing premises have been calling up to find out how to improve hygiene standards and get a better star rating.

“That didn’t happen before. Some premises avoided us like the plague.

“Certain businesses learned to do just enough to avoid prosecution. Now we have been able to expose them, and the customers know about it.

“The public can make an informed decision, whereas, before, the only way you would know if somewhere was bad was if we prosecuted.

“I have had people phone up and say ‘it’s affecting our business’ and that’s what we want.

“Our primary role is to protect public health and the process is a much more democratic system that it has ever been.”

You can view the results online at: scoresonthedoors.org.uk

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