MP Tris Osborne calls for government action

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Transcript

00:00It's the investigation that shocked the public, highlighting Maidstone businesses displaying

00:05false hygiene ratings. Our findings have sparked a Labour MP to call on the government to introduce

00:12mandatory display. They now tell us they're considering it.

00:16Yeah, I was surprised and a bit shocked actually, as a user of takeaways in Medway and many

00:21of my friends and residents around here do as well. They come to trust these FSA ratings

00:26out of five.

00:27Following the story we put out last week on food hygiene ratings, you've now asked some

00:31questions to the government. What are they and what do they look like?

00:35Yeah, so I've asked two part questions to the Department for Health. So first of all,

00:39I've said that they can comment on whether they think that there should be equity across

00:43the country and the FSA standards that are displayed in all restaurants, first of all,

00:48as standard so that people can see when they come in or they order online. And second of

00:52all, that that is mandatory and it is something which is accurate. But I also intend to perhaps

00:58have an adjournment debate on this as well, just to keep on raising this up the agenda

01:03so that there's actual public awareness.

01:06The investigation looked at outlets in Kent's county town that had a score of three or below.

01:12We found 12 displaying no ratings, seven displaying incorrect scores and two with

01:17signs saying they were awaiting inspection when they weren't. That's more than nine out

01:22of 10 businesses either displaying an incorrect rating or none at all. In Wales and Northern

01:28Ireland, mandatory display is law and our report has added to the growing cause for

01:33that to be the case in England.

01:35It's a zero cost. This is just about making people display a sticker on their window.

01:40And there's no massive cost. It is an additional burden to industry because industry has to go

01:46through the process anyway. And all it is doing, it is supporting the good guys, those

01:51people who are taking the effort to make sure that the food they serve is hygienically safe

01:57and good for consumers. So again, it's just that win-win.

02:01Businesses are regularly inspected by local authorities. A low rating can be indicative

02:06of bad food handling, safety and cleanliness of the premises. To know the actual rating

02:12of a business, you can visit the Food Standards Agency website. These will be accurate. The

02:18organisation is also calling on the government to introduce mandatory display.

02:23Gabriel Morris in Maidstone.