Launch event for food scheme standard bearers

July 9, 2013 at 2:18 pm

The Foveran hotel is one of the 296 premises to be included in the Orkney branch of the Food Hygiene Information scheme. Pictured is the Foveran's Paul Doull. — The Foveran hotel is one of the 296 premisis to be included in the Orkney branch of the Food Hygiene Information scheme. Pictured is the Foveran’s Paul Doull.

New hygiene certificates will be issued to Orkney food outlets for the first time.

Orkney Islands Council is joining most other local authorities in Scotland in adopting the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) and issuing certificates to local food outlets today, Tuesday.

Endorsed by the Food Standards Agency, the scheme gives customers information about the performance of food retailers and caterers — helping them to make informed choices about where to eat or buy food.

At a launch event at Kirkwall Town Hall today, the first certificates were presented to food businesses and other outlets from across the county.

These show whether they passed their latest hygiene inspection carried out by the Council’s Environmental Health team, or if improvements are required. In all, 293 premises where food is available to the public are involved in the FHIS in Orkney.

As well as providing certificates food outlets can display, the results of all hygiene inspections carried out in Orkney under the scheme will be available publicly via the Food Standards Agency website at http://ratings.food.gov.uk/ from today, Tuesday.

In all, information on more than 34,600 Scottish food Businesses is now available online.