THE Scores on the Doors rating system for food-serving premises was launched by North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC) this week. Organisations achieving the top rating of five stars were invited to attend the event at the Mrs Howard Memorial Hall in

THE Scores on the Doors rating system for food-serving premises was launched by North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC) this week.

Organisations achieving the top rating of five stars were invited to attend the event at the Mrs Howard Memorial Hall in Letchworth GC where they were presented with their awards by Cllr David Levett, vice-chairman of NHDC.

Scores on the Doors is a scheme that enables the public to see how organisations rate in terms of food hygiene and safety. It means that residents in North Herts now have easy access to information that enables them to make an informed choice when eating out.

The information currently covers 418 establishments that are considered to be in the "high risk" category of food service. These include restaurants, pubs, nursing homes, schools and work canteens.

The scheme uses the scoring mechanism set out in the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Food Law Code of Practice. In addition to assessing overall food hygiene, the scoring takes into account the standards of their premises and management. The FSA classes any business above two stars as being "broadly compliant" with hygiene standards and 86 per cent of the businesses in the district meet this classification.

Cllr Bernard Lovewell, portfolio holder for housing and environmental health, who attended the launch, said: "This is an exciting development in providing residents of North Herts with an easily accessible way of finding out about food hygiene practices in the food premises they use.

"For businesses, it gives recognition for the work that they put into adhering to food hygiene rules and another way of promoting their businesses. More than that, Scores on the Doors is a benchmark that will encourage organisations throughout the district to improve their standards.

"We have a vision of making North Hertfordshire a vibrant place to live, work and prosper and I hope that this scheme will make a contribution towards that objective."

Next week the Comet will be publishing a full list of the latest Scores on the Doors for Stevenage, North Herts and Central Beds and they will also be appearing on our website at www.thecomet24.co.uk