Dramatic decline in food hygiene inspections uncovered by Food Standards Agency
According to new research published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) between 2003 and 2014 there has been a 15% drop in inspections handled by local authorities.
It has been estimated that 5.5 million people in the UK are affected by food poisoning each year, primarily due to inadequate hand hygiene facilities being provided.
The research finds that 39% of food service employees have admitted to not washing their hands after visiting the toilet, and 53% confessed that they do not wash their hands before preparing food.
Foodservice inspections are carried out by local authorities and are rated on a scale from 0-5. The grading is based on how the food is prepared and cooked, as well as the condition of the building and what management is doing to ensure that the food served is indeed safe.
The FSA is encouraging operators not to get complacent as a result of these findings because even if the threat of being inspected is minimised, customer’s health and wellbeing must remain of paramount importance.