Thirty seven of Tameside’s takeaways and sandwich shops have serious failings in hygiene according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
From the ratings given following FSA inspections 37 have two stars or less, meaning the borough has more substandard takeaways and sandwich shops than Bury, Rochdale, and Wigan.
Such low ratings mean major improvement is required in several areas, including how hygienically the food is handled, the cleanliness of the premises, and what measures the business has in place to ensure a safe and healthy environment for food preparation and consumption.
Head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team at the FSA, Catriona Stewart, told MM: “Around one million people suffer from food poisoning every year, but we shouldn’t feel we are gambling with our health when we eat out.
“We encourage people to look for the hygiene rating when deciding which food outlet to visit, as it gives them an idea of what’s going on in the kitchen and behind the scenes.
“As customer awareness of the scheme increases, food outlets in Tameside and across the country will recognise that a high rating is good for business.”
If businesses fail to achieve a higher rating further examinations will be carried out, and if, at a later inspection, improvements are not evident, enforcement measures can be put in place.
“Food businesses that receive a low rating must make improvements to hygiene standards, and the food safety officer from the local authority will give advice and guidance to make sure these are made,” Ms Stewart said.
“If the officer thinks that food may not be safe to eat and there is an imminent risk to public health, they will take action and could close the business down.”
Some customer reviews, however, contradict these statements.
For example, one customer said of Naarangee in Droylsden, which received a food hygiene rating of one this September: “Food was great, prices were good and there were a few people there considering it was a Monday night.”
“It was so good I went the following Friday and I have to say the chicken tikka masala was the best I have ever tasted.”
Still, the evidence offered by customers in other businesses more than supports the low ratings given by the FSA.
One customer at Denton’s Pizza and Curry Express, which also received a rating of one this September, said: “The estimated delivery time was 45 minutes, but the pizza was delivered an hour and 25 minutes later when I only live three miles away off a main road.
“No apology was given, there was no free garlic bread as stated, and the pizzas that I got were just cream and base. Disgusting.”
Another said: “The prawn cocktail was horrible and the prawns tasted like plastic.
“The curry had spilt into everything else, the chicken tikka on the kebab was over cooked and dry, the garlic bread was under done and didn’t taste anything like garlic, and to top it off we paid for a bottle of coke and didn’t receive it, even after phoning up and being told they would send the driver back.”
Image courtesy of Reway2007, with thanks
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