Food hygiene and labelling falling short in some areas, says Which?

A study from Which? has highlighted the struggle of a number of local authorities to make sure that necessary standards of food hygiene are being met, and that food labelling is present and accurate.

The risk rating of businesses was assessed by taking the type of food sold, the way it is prepared and the number of customers they serve, into consideration.

Of particular concern to Which? was that, in spite of a year in which food contamination and mislabelling has hit the headlines, rates of food testing have dropped by 6.8% over the last 12 months. Similarly, presentation and labelling tests are down 16.2%.

Richard Lloyd, the executive director of Which?, said:

"No one wants another horsemeat fiasco, so it is very worrying that local authority food checks are in decline. We want to see a more strategic approach to food law enforcement that makes the best use of limited resources and responds effectively to the huge challenges facing the food supply chain."

London performed particularly poorly in the studies, being responsible for six of the bottom 10 rated authorities. Southeast London area Bexley came bottom of the pile in the study, with the West London district of Ealing in second to last place. News was better for Cherwell in Oxfordshire, which topped the 395 locations studied.

A Local Government Association spokesman, Nick Worth, argued that lower testing rates do not automatically mean greater risk to consumers, and talked of the continued efforts of local authorities to meet food standards despite government cuts.