Food Safety

TV café owner launches new Food Hygiene Information Scheme

A new Food Hygiene Information Scheme was launched in West Dunbartonshire on Friday 1 October 2010,with the help of a famous fictional café owner.

The Food Hygiene Information Scheme - a partnership between West Dunbartonshire Council and the Food Standards Agency - is designed to make it easier for local people to see how well food businesses have done in their local authority food hygiene inspections, by providing businesses with a certificate for display at their premises.

A “Pass” certificate confirms that a food business has been inspected by their local authority and has met the required legal standards.  If a food business falls short of the legal standard, it is classified as “Improvement Required”.

The scheme, which is currently being rolled out throughout most of Scotland, was officially launched in West Dunbartonshire by actress Libby McArthur, who plays Gina Hamilton , the proprietor of the Oyster Café in the hit BBC soap opera River City. She paid a visit to Helen’s Café in Old Kilpatrick, along with staff from West Dunbartonshire Council’s Environmental Health team, to present proud café owner Helen McFall with her “Pass” certificate.

Councillor Craig McLaughlin, the Council’s Convener for Corporate Services, said: “West Dunbartonshire Council is delighted to promote this new scheme as a means of better informing consumers of hygiene standards within food businesses, to enable them to make an informed choice about where they choose to eat, or to buy their food from.”  

John Stevenson, Section Head of Environmental Health at West Dunbartonshire Council, added: “As well as providing consumers with information on hygiene conditions within food premises, the scheme will also help to drive up standards in those businesses that are not currently complying with their legal obligations. The new scheme opens the doors on food hygiene standards at food premises, by providing clear information to consumers at the point of sale. Standards within West Dunbartonshire food establishments are generally good and this has been borne out by the fact that almost 700 pass certificates were issued on the launch date”.

The display of a certificate by a business is voluntary but you will be able to access full information about all food businesses in the area on the Food Standards Agency website.  Search for Hygiene Ratings

The Environmental Health Section is responsible for all areas of food safety enforcement including food sampling and the investigation of waterborne and non-waterborne communicable diseases.

There are more than 850 food businesses operating throughout the West Dunbartonshire area and all are inspected by Environmental Health Officers and Assistants on a risk based basis.

In a year more than 1300 visits are carried out by the team covering inspections, food-sampling, complaint investigations and advising businesses and members of the public. More than 350 service requests are received each year from businesses and the public in connection with food safety issues. All are investigated and appropriate action taken. Officers must also respond to notifications of Food Alerts reported by the Food Standards Agency.