Manchester first for food hygiene awareness

Yesterday (July 18th) saw a first for food safety standards as Greater Manchester adopted the Food Standards Agency's (FSA's) Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) across all ten of its local authorities.

It is a first for the FSA, for Manchester and for the country as a whole as the conurbation becomes the first major urban area in Britain to fully adopt the organisation's new initiative.

Trafford Borough Council was the final authority to adopt the scheme. Speaking at the launch event at the Trafford Centre shopping complex, FSA chairman Jeff Rooker said that through the scheme "we wanted to give people the ability to judge for themselves whether they consider the hygiene standards of food outlets to be good enough".

With the help of popular television programmes and the ability to train for basic food hygiene certificates to aid career progression, many people are now increasingly aware of fundamental hygiene standards in their home, work and places of leisure.

Major of Trafford Jane Baugh added that the FHRS's "importance in promoting better hygiene standards in local food outlets cannot be overemphasised".