Scores on the Doors Shropshire

Shropshire has a proud food culture, with a vast range of local producers who give us privileged access to the kind of fresh food that would make the rest of the United Kingdom jealous. However, it is not all good news. Worryingly, in one key food area we are being left behind by the rest of the country...

Think back to when you last visited your favourite little restaurant. What was their kitchen like? When did they take delivery of that beef steak you enjoyed and how did they store it? You don't know. None of us do. That is why a group of public health inspectors visit our favourite eating places on our behalf and hopefully give them a clean bill of health.

There is a national scheme called 'Scores on the Doors', which is promoting food safety and public awareness. The aim of the scores on the doors scheme is,

"To promote improved business standards and empower consumer choice by making available information to which the public has a right to access under Freedom of Information and Environment Information Regulation Legislation. Through promoting Food Safety and empower consumer choice by making available information to which the public has a right to access."

As we publish this article, a total of 91 councils nationwide have signed up for the scheme, with another 7 due to join soon. The national website where you can view this information is here: www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk.

Since the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force, Local Authorities are now obliged to release food hygiene inspection reports on request, but there are reports that while some councils are only too happy to dish up the results of their inspections, others seem more keen to use a loop hole that allows them to wriggle out of providing the information, based on how long it would take them to get the information for you.

Back in May 2009 we asked the new Shropshire Council whether they were planning follow our progressive neighbours in Telford by taking part in the national scheme. They said,

"...the recently formed Shropshire Council are considering implementing a 'scores on the doors' scheme in line with a national scheme that is likely to be published shortly".

EatShrewsbury believes we all have the right to this information in order for us to make an informed choice about where we eat in our county. Any food business worth it's salt should also be happy to welcome this scheme. Food premises who put us all at risk by failing to maintain adequate standards of food hygiene deserve to be publicly shamed and forced to either improve the standard of the service they offer us, or go out of business and allow someone else to replace them and do a better job. Let's hope that our council agrees and falls in line with the rest of the nation sooner rather than later.