CHESHIRE West and Chester Council has joined the Food Standards Agency in shining a light on food safety.

As part of national Food Safety Week, the council is promoting the work of the team ensuring the food we buy and eat is safe.

Dubbed ‘the people who protect your plate’, the team is made up of environmental health and food safety officers who inspect food businesses and ensure hygiene standards are up to scratch.

Under the food hygiene rating scheme, 72 per cent of businesses in the borough had a rating of three – generally satisfactory – or above.

The scheme covers restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, food vans or stalls, canteens, hotels, supermarkets, schools, hospitals and care homes – a total of 3,305 organisations in the borough.

Businesses are given green and black stickers for display at their premises and all ratings are published online, so people can make more informed choices about where to buy and eat food.

CWAC cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Karen Shore, said “We have a dedicated team that work hard to ensure that food is safe in Cheshire West and Chester so that residents and visitors can dine out with peace of mind.

“Research shows that food hygiene when eating out is the UK’s number one food safety concern so we are really pleased that the majority of our local food businesses hold a rating of three or above.”

Angela Towers, head of the food hygiene rating team at the FSA said: “Working in partnership with CWAC and their expert Food Safety officers we are dedicated to ensuring that people can trust that the food they buy and eat is safe and honest.”

The food safety team’s ‘GET5’ scheme is available for any business that would like to obtain a top level food hygiene rating. It includes a site visit and tailored advice. See the council website.