The number of businesses in Westminster with top standards for food hygiene has risen from 15 to 132 since the implementation of the ‘Scores on the Doors’ rating system 12 months ago.
Westminster City Council was one of the first local authorities in the UK to publish food hygiene inspection reports for all kitchens serving food to the public on the internet under the Scores on the Doors scheme.
It allows diners to check up on the cleanliness and food hygiene standards in Westminster’s 3,500 restaurants, cafes, schools, gyms, clubs and anywhere else serving food to the public by ranking kitchens from zero to five stars.
When the scheme launched, just 15 premises received the top rating but now one year on, a total of 132 kitchens have achieved five stars, including Café de Paris, double Michelin starred Le Gavroche and the Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane.
Daniel Astaire, cabinet member for community protection at Westminster, said:
“The fact the number of kitchens with the highest five-star rating has rocketed by 780% is testimony to the huge success of this scheme and I’m delighted this clear and simple five-star rating system is driving up standards in food safety.
“Restaurants are not obliged to show their ‘scores on the door’ but I would urge those which have performed well to show off to the public. It’s something to be proud of and something I for one, would take notice of if I was passing by at lunch time with an empty stomach.”
Westminster Council will be speaking to a delegation of food officers from Norway, Sweden and Iceland tomorrow about the success of Scores on the Doors and other work carried out by the council’s food team.
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By Daniel Thomas
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