Scotsman Supports Welsh Food Hygiene Ratings Bill
Scotsman Ice Systems are supporting the principle of the proposed Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Bill, which started its consultation period on 14th December 2011.
The bill which ends its public consultation period on the 7th of March 2012 proposes to make the existing voluntary scheme, mandatory. The Proposal would see places where consumers eat out (including restaurants, takeaways, mobile caterers, cafés, hotels, pubs, schools, hospitals and residential care homes) as well as places where the consumer shops for food (such as supermarkets, bakeries, and delicatessens) having to display their official Hygiene score.
The current voluntary rating scheme is run by local authorities in Wales in partnership with the FSA. The FSA is the UK non-ministerial government department responsible for food safety.
Ratings would be determined by an authorised food safety officer, usually an Environmental Health Officer or an officer with equivalent food premises inspection qualifications working for a Local Authority. They consider the rating criteria during the inspections they perform and issuing a hygiene rating to the food business for display.
The ratings are:
0 - Urgent improvement necessary
1 - Major improvement necessary
2 - Improvement necessary
3 - Generally satisfactory
4 - Good
5 - Very Good
Chris Davis, Commercial Director of Hubbard Ice Systems, the UK distributor of Scotsman Ice Machines says; “Scotsman already places great importance on ice hygiene, both in production, storage and handling and our machines feature built-in safegurads such as an Anti-microbial system in the ice bin. This uses an efficient, food safe antimicrobial agent, contained in a pouch on the inner side of the sliding bin door, creating a barrier against the potential proliferation of micro-organisms. Combined with our hygienic scoop-holder which is also positioned in a safe environment inside the bin, the scoop is always at hand for quick and hygienic collection of ice”.
He continues; “The Food Safety Act 1990 defined ice as a food. The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 made it a requirement for ice to be made, stored and handled without contamination. Contamination can be caused by anything which touches the ice such as people, raw food or contaminated ice scoops. It can also be caused by dust and dirt entering the ice bucket or storage area and misusing cleaning chemicals. We think that the proposal to make the Hygiene Ratings system mandatory is extremely important, hygiene is a difficult subject to promote to the public, without scaremongering. The concept of publicly displaying an easy to understand rating will only harm those who have something to hide. With the support of manufacturers like Scotsman, designing products to be easy to clean, sanitise and maintain, retailers of food and drink should be able to reap the rewards of keeping hygiene standards high with increased consumer confidence and greater discretionary spending”.
