South-East Queensland restaurants and food outlets will have their food safety and hygiene standards rated and their scores displayed on front doors in a system designed to give diners more information about where they are eating. The EatSafe program, which will kick off in Brisbane and extend to other local government areas, will rate any establishment with a food license. Scores under the star system will voluntarily displayed on the premises.
Food safety inspectors will give scores between one and five - five being for best practice. Financial penalties - in the form of higher licensing fees - will be meted out to those who score lowest. Outlets who score between four and five stars will have their license fees discounted and rewarded with fewer safety inspections. Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said while operators would not be forced to display their scores to customers, he expected the rating cars would become "a badge of honour" among the city's 6000 eateries, including bakeries and takeaway outlets.
"It's a bit carrot and stick," he told brisbanetimes.com.au this morning. "One star and you're pretty much out of business, we'll shut you down; two stars is just over the line; four to five and you're doing well. It is a scheme which is designed to give consumers more information about the establishments they are eating in as well as helping operators improve in a very positive, incentivised way."
Cr Newman, who is expected to announce the scheme and a timeline today, said the EatSafe program had the full backing of industry bodies including the Queensland Hotels Association and Restaurant and Catering Queensland. "I was very clear with council officials who put this up quite a while ago that we will not do this without the support of the industry," he said.
Logan City Council, which is also expected to announce its scheme soon, flagged the concept early last month and used the example of a similar rating system used in Los Angeles County. It cited a 13 per cent decrease in food poisoning cases in the first 12 months of operation and an average 5.7 per cent revenue increase for those businesses which secured the highest score - in their case an A,B,C grading system. Other international cities using a "scores on doors" scheme include New York, London and Singapore. "Grading provided incentives for operators to strive for high standards and was used as an effective marketing tool to win and retain customers in a competitive market," city officials told councillors in a briefing note on January 6. "Significant declines in food borne illness in Singapore have occurred since the introduction of food grading."
A Logan City Council spokeswoman said the scheme would likely be in place by the end of the year, possibly as early as September. While participation will be voluntary, she said the council was calling on the Queensland government today to make it mandatory. Food safety standards are set by the state government, however, in Brisbane, breaches of the legislation are prosecuted by the council.
Cr Newman said the total amount of money raised by Brisbane City Council under its current restaurant licensing scheme would not change under the star-rating system. However, there would be a redistribution of fees based on food safety performance. He stressed the rating system would be no reflection of the quality of food served or service standards.
Queensland Hotels Association head Justin O'Connor said Brisbane City Council had spent 12 months consulting the industry on the program and operators were keen to see whether "the theory is borne out in practice" in terms of raising safety standards across the board. However, he was was much less keen to see the scheme forced upon operators. "We are prepared to give it a go because it is relatively rare for state government, local governments, or even federal governments for that matter, to introduce a system of incentives for doing good," he said. “Normally, it's a one-size-fits-all, 'shut up and pay your fees' approach. They are trying to improve an existing regulatory system and ensure good operators are rewarded."
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