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The High Street's Hidden Hygiene Horrors

Whether you’re looking for a quiet Friday night takeaway; trying to plan that perfect romantic meal; or maybe you’re visiting the UK trying to find a delightful eatery, you want to make sure you’re making the right decision, and food hygiene plays a huge part in this. Everyone seems to have a story from the time they had tummy troubles from a bad meal, and food hygiene practices are often likely causes for these problems.

But what’s unusual in the UK is you find that every establishment on the highstreet seems to be proudly displaying their faultless five rating. However, in 2020 to date, where a great deal of attention has been put on hygiene and cleanliness, only around 62% of establishments attained a score of five, with nearly 8% of establishments achieving a score deemed to require improvement.

So, where are all of these poorly-related establishments? That’s a good question, and one we’re sure the public would like to know the answer to. However, these establishments are often hidden. While a faultless five in the window may give customers the confidence, the absence of a visible rating does not appear to be a deterrent, and some establishments appear to be using this to hide their poor scores. That’s the problem: in the UK, there is no requirement for establishments to display their food hygiene rating scores.

Ask yourself if you would eat at an outlet with a food hygiene rating of zero? Would the food handling and preparation concern you? How about an outlet that doesn’t display its food hygiene rating? What’s the difference between these two questions? It’s a hard reality, but these hidden hygiene ratings only serve to benefit establishments that would prefer hygiene ratings were not available to the public.

Next time you’re looking for a new place to eat, be sure to check the food hygiene rating, either in the window if it’s on show, or online at AteRate.com to reassure yourself.

25 Jul 2020, Dan