No China crisis
EATERIES ON FAMOUS CITY STREET ALL HAVE HIGH FOOD RATING
NEWCASTLE’S famous Chinatown restaurants are celebrating after becoming the city’s first street to earn high food hygiene ratings.
After months of hard work with the city council’s environmental health food team officers, business owners on Stowell Street have raised hygiene standards on both food and buildings.
It means that diners on the famous street can pop into any of its 18 restaurants and be assured that hygiene is either good or very good.
Coun Nick Kemp, cabinet member for regulation, said: “I would like to congratulate Stowell Street restaurants that have achieved the top marks for food hygiene.
“This shows their commitment to offering only the highest standards to customers so the public can eat out with confidence. We are proud to support these businesses in their achievement.”
Food hygiene rating scores are displayed in the windows of restaurants and reflect the standards of food hygiene on the date of inspection.
Inspections are stringent and cover:
Food handling – preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage.
Building hygiene – structure, cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities.
Recording and managing records to ensure food is safe to eat.
At the end of the inspection, the business is given one of the six ratings from zero to five. The top ratings of four and five mean the business was found to have good or very good hygiene standards respectively.
Kam-Wah Mak, vice chairman and secretary of the North East Chinese Association, said: “The North East Chinese Association welcomed the hard work, advice and contributions from Newcastle City Council, Northumbria Water and NE1. We would also like to say a big thank you to all the Stowell Street traders who have worked hard in the last few months.”
Diners can check food hygiene ratings of premises by visiting www.food.gov.uk/ratings