Sunderland ranked in UK top five for food hygiene, says Which?

The consumer rights campaign group found a huge variation in food hygiene standards across the country, with one in five high or medium risk food establishments failing to meet requirements.

Which? analysed data submitted to the Food Standard Authority and Food Standards Scotland by 386 UK local authorities and ranked them based on the proportion of medium and high risk premises meeting hygiene requirements, the proportion of total premises rated for risk, and the proportion of planned interventions (such as inspections or follow up actions) the authorities achieved.

Sunderland was the highest ranking Metropolitan Borough in England and the fifth best performer nationwide overall.

Alex Neill, Which? Managing Director of Home Services said: “People expect their food to be safe, but there is clearly still work to be done.

“As we prepare to leave the EU, the Government and regulators need to ensure that there is a robust, independent system of enforcement in place ​​to give people ​confidence that ​the food they’re eating is hygienic.”

Coun Michael Mordey is Sunderland City Council’s Portfolio Holder for City Services: “Council staff in their monitoring, their visits and inspections, look at many different aspects of the business they are visiting,” he said.

“The council looks at hygiene, handling, and all aspects of the environment where food is prepared, stored or served to the public.

“This is from cooking to all-round cleanliness, and also to how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe for the public.

“This is an excellent example of the council and businesses working together to improve the offer in the city, and we should all be proud of Sunderland moving up the rankings and being the best Metropolitan Authority for food hygiene standards.

“It’s pleasing that are our work helping people and businesses in Sunderland has been recognised by such a well-known organisation as Which?”