Top schools and several supermarkets are on the list
Food Standards Agency sign which gives food hygiene ratings for food outlets(Image: LDRS)
Merseyside schools, a leisure centre, several supermarkets including Aldi, ASDA, Farmfoods and Home Bargains as well as top brands like Subway, Pizza Hut, KFC , Nandos and McDonalds have all received top ratings for food hygiene in Sefton. Overall more than 1,700 businesses currently boast a 5* food hygiene rating in the borough.
Food hygiene inspections are carried out by Sefton Council’s environmental health service in order to ensure food served to the public is safe to eat. Officers can turn up unannounced and can take food samples and photographs to support any investigation.
Sefton Council have a risk-based inspection regime which covers all food businesses in the borough. Premises are inspected to ensure food is being manufactured, prepared and handled in a hygienic and safe manner. The risk determines the frequency of inspection of between 6 months or 2 years and the greater the risk, the more often premises will be inspected.
Unless there is an immediate risk to health, businesses who received bad ratings are given time to make changes and improve. They can also ask to be re-inspected.
Businesses are inspected in three areas. These are hygienic food handling including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling, and storage, the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and the building, as well as management of food safety to make sure it is okay to eat.
2,351 businesses were inspected for food hygiene with more than 75% rated five which is “very good.” Seven businesses were awarded a one star rating and told they needed major improvement whilst ten other businesses received a rating of two stars.
According to the Food Standards Agency, 1,782 businesses have five star food hygiene ratings with a good rating in all areas. The latest food hygiene ratings for Sefton can be found on the Food Standards Agency website.