Scores on the doors show consistently mighty marks

Wetherspoon’s pubs in England, Northern Ireland and Wales clock up average food hygiene rating of 4.99 out of 5.

Among the biggest pub chains, Wetherspoon’s pubs are consistently high in the charts in the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS).

The company’s pubs in England, Northern Ireland and Wales have an average food hygiene rating of 4.99 across 735 rated pubs, with 731 of those achieving the maximum-possible score of five.

Combined
The top five companies (see table opposite) have a rating of 5.00 each, but with a combined number of only 204 premises, compared with Wetherspoon’s total of 735 rated pubs.

The FHRS – the only independent government scheme assessing the level of hygiene standards in pubs, restaurants, take-aways, clubs and cafés – is run by local authorities.

It scores outlets 0–5, with the highest-possible rating of five
meaning ‘very good’ hygiene practices and safety systems in place, fully complying with the law.

Outlets with a rating of four are deemed to have ‘good’ hygiene standards, while three is ‘generally satisfactory’, two needs ‘some improvement’, a rating of one requires ‘major improvement’
and zero requires ‘urgent improvement’.

Higher
Wetherspoon was ahead of pub companies Nicholson’s, Sizzling Pub Co and Young’s and was also rated higher than restaurant and sandwich chains, including Greggs, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Prezzo and Wagamama – although all of these companies also scored highly.

Of our pubs, 735 currently have an FHRS rating, with 99.32 per cent of those achieving the highest-possible rating of five.

FHRS ratings follow an independent assessment of food hygiene at the various premises, determined by local authority environmental health officers visiting venues to assess hygiene levels.

Environmental health officers assess three areas: food hygiene and safety procedures; structural compliance; confidence in management.

Ratings
The ratings (as well as the date of inspection) can be found online and on stickers displayed at businesses’ premises.

Wetherspoon’s personnel and audit director, James Ullman, said: “We are proud of our pubs’ hygiene ratings.

“However, we also take it extremely seriously when a pub does not
achieve the maximum rating.

“Where a maximum score is not achieved, we work hard with each pub’s team and local authority to ensure, as quickly as possible, that standards are returned to expected levels.”

To achieve the highest-possible rating of five, our pubs’ management and staff must achieve and maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene, including:

Hygienic food-handling
This is how food is prepared, cooked, cooled, reheated and stored:

• checking fridge temperatures
• hand-washing facilities and practices
• equipment used for raw and cooked foods being kept separately
• staff members’ understanding of food hygiene

Physical condition of the premises and facilities
This is the assessment of the standard of cleanliness and upkeep, including whether

• the condition of general decoration, layout and lighting is of a good standard
• it is clean and cleaning materials meet requirements
• there is suitable ventilation and pest control
• rubbish and waste are disposed of correctly

Food safety management
This ensures that suitable precautions are taken to keep food safe, including:

• staff training records
• logs of relevant checks, such as fridges’ temperatures and cleaning
• safety procedure record

Did you know?
As well as the independent assessments by the FHRS across England, Northern Ireland and Wales (in Scotland, it’s the Food Hygiene Information Scheme), Wetherspoon monitors its own pub hygiene standards.

Monthly, each pub receives at least five quality-assurance visits from a combination of its area manager, Wetherspoon’s own audit department, an external ‘mystery shopper’ company and other head-office managers.

Wetherspoon pubs in Scotland

The Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) for Wetherspoon’s pubs across Scotland issues either a ‘pass’ or an ‘improvement required’ rating, albeit the achievement being excellent nonetheless. There are 56 Wetherspoon pubs in Scotland, all of which have been FHIS rated as ‘pass’.