Eating out in Highland this Christmas? Then check out the Food Hygiene Information Scheme

4th December 2013

At this time of year, plans are being made for the festive period, many of which involve eating out. Christmas shoppers stop for a hard-earned lunch and parties will soon be in full swing. Last year, 62% of people in Scotland dined out twice over the two week festive period.

When organising your gathering with family, friends or work colleagues, you may consider atmosphere, the menu and price when choosing your venue. However, with nearly 17 million people suffering stomach upsets in the UK each year, checking food hygiene inspection results should also be a priority.

The Highland Council launched the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) in May 2012 with 3164 listed premises showing a pass rate of 84% which means that good food hygiene is easy for consumers to spot. Restaurants, pubs, hotels, cafes and other places that sell you food are given an inspection result by one of our enforcement officers at each food hygiene inspection. A �Pass� certificate or sticker shows that the establishment met the legal requirements when it was inspected.

When you eat out or shop for food, you should see a �Pass� sticker in the window or on the door, or a certificate on display. Businesses are encouraged to display the stickers and certificates at their premises in a place where you can easily see them when you visit. If you cannot see a sticker or certificate, ask a member of staff inside the venue.

All results are also published online. You can see which other local authorities are operating the scheme and search more than 35,500 results for establishments in Scotland at http://ratings.food.gov.uk/

The Highland Council�s Environmental Health Manager Alan Yates said: �When dining out, you�ll choose to go to an establishment where you like the food and you know you�ll have a good time. It makes sense to also check out the food hygiene result - it�s good to know and you shouldn�t have reservations about the standards of food hygiene in the kitchen.�

Charles Milne, Director, Food Standards Agency, added: �The FHIS is all about giving consumers helpful information on which to base their choice of where to eat. The FSA in Scotland has worked in partnership with The Highland Council and other local authorities to introduce this scheme. It means that when you eat out, be it where you live or away from home, the same criteria have been used to inspect food outlets.�