An official at an organisation which represents staff in environmental health jobs has called for the Scores on the Doors inspection scheme to be mandatory.
At the moment, local authorities can opt to run such a programme – which involves food outlets displaying the results of hygiene inspections carried out on their premises by environmental health officials.
Jenny Morris, principal policy officer at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said the scheme has proved to be a success in areas where it has been implemented, as consumers "vote with their feet" by not buying goods from shops with a low rating.
She added that she would like the displaying of scores to be a "mandatory requirement" for food outlets.
"If you've got a place where the scheme is operating and the majority of businesses are displaying their results then certainly the consumer will be wondering why that one isn't," she added.
Earlier this month, Rosalynd Hale, principal environmental health officer for Wokingham Borough Council, told Get Bracknell that the use of the Scores on the Doors scheme in the area has played a large part in improving hygiene standards.
Posted by Jennifer Masters
