07 Aug 2008


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ACS calls for Scores on the Doors exemptions

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Shops that have no open food handling facilities should be made exempt from a proposed Scores on the Doors grading system, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has said.

The Food Standards Agency is currently operating a consultation period that will see the rating procedure standardised in order to enable consumers to consider the quality of the venues they are shopping at in terms of hygiene.

But chief executive at the ACS James Lowman stated
that convenience
outlets are usually "low-risk businesses" and that money pumped into the venture will be wasted.

“Given the strong potential for confusion about what a score relates to, premises with low scores could be unfairly judged by the public who may mistakenly believe that the store is in some way unsafe," he suggested.

Yet he agreed that the measures would undoubtedly be of assistance to customers spending at retailers where food preparation is carried out.

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HygieneWatch	08 Aug 2008 16:04:00
Based on this story, one would imagine that there are never serious hygiene problems in convenience stores without open food. Yet there are many cases of pest infestation and abuses of temperature control, both of which would be of interest to consumers, and have potentially serious implications for food safety. Food packets chewed and urinated on by mice, for example. Undoubtedly most convenience stores would get good scores on the doors ratings, but there are more than a few (perhaps not ACS members) whose standards are less than exemplary. Its also worth pointing out that the scheme is highly cost-effective, as standards are driven up, reducing required inspection frequencies for the authorities.