Food hygiene rating scheme is launched

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and local authorities are behind the roll-out across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for restaurants, cafes, takeaways, supermarkets and other places that serve food.

Their aim is to reduce the one million cases of food poisoning suffered each year.

Participating food outlets will display a bright green and black sticker at the entrance showing a rating from zero, meaning urgent improvement necessary, to five, or very good. The ratings will also be posted on the FSA's website.

FSA chairman Jeff Rooker said: "Many people suffer from food poisoning every year, but we shouldn't feel we are gambling with our health when we eat out.

"In developing this scheme, we wanted to give people the ability to judge for themselves whether they considered the hygiene standards of a food outlet to be good enough."