According to the findings of a recent investigation by the Sunday Express, around one in four Scottish takeaways are failing to meet legal food hygiene standards.
The investigation was launched at the same time as concerns were raised about the increase in food poisoning in the country, with a 40 per cent rise reported in the first few months of 2013 compared to the same period last year.
It was not only takeaways which were flagged up for their poor food hygiene training and practices, however. The Sunday Express team also found that plush venues such as St Andrews Golf Club, the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh and the BAA Skylounge at Glasgow Airport underperformed in a recent round of inspections by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Even a cookery school managed to fail a recent FSA inspection.
Encouraging customers to check food hygiene scores before they dine out, the FSA in Scotland’s Elspeth MacDonald said:
“The Food Hygiene Information Scheme gives consumers easy access to useful information so they can make an informed choice about where to eat out. The FSA in Scotland is working in partnership with local authorities across the country to roll out and enforce the scheme.
“We recommend that everyone check the ratings on our website before eating out you know which eateries have achieved a pass.”
