ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Around half of takeaways and restaurants in the UK are putting people at risk by failing to offer satisfactory hygiene levels.

That's according to a report by consumer organisation Which? based on hygiene inspections by local councils across 2,000 postcodes.

It says urgent action is needed to tackle a food poisoning epidemic that has afflicted as many as 17 million people over the last two years.

A national system in England and Wales, overseen by the Food Standards Agency, ranks food outlets on a basis of zero to five stars in terms of hygiene. A score of zero is classed as ‘urgent improvement necessary', while five equates to ‘very good'.Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: "Our investigation shows that food hygiene is an unacceptable postcode lottery.

"Diners shouldn't be taking a risk with their health simply by choosing the wrong area in which to eat out. We want everywhere that serves food to the public to display their hygiene score prominently so people can make an informed choice."