A social media campaign to encourage people to check Food Hygiene Ratings is being backed by St Albans City and District Council.
The 5th anniversary of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is being celebrated with a week of educational events.
Online videos, infographics, league tables, Twitter posts and Facebook conversations will be used to raise awareness of the system and the health issues involved.
The awareness campaign will take part in the week that runs from Tuesday 24 November to Monday 30 November.
The Council is a member of the FHRS and its food safety officers inspect restaurants, takeaways, pubs, schools, hospitals, cafes and other food outlets in the District.
They award a hygiene rating that ranges from a zero, signifying “urgent improvement required”, to the top mark of five, an indication of “very good” standards.
Consumers are urged to “look and book” by checking the rating on a website before dining out or making a purchase.
More than 600 premises in the District have been rated with the vast majority being awarded three stars – “generally satisfactory” – or above. Four stars signify “good”.
However, a number of restaurants, pubs and takeaways have been rated at two, “improvement necessary”, one, “major improvement necessary”, or even none.
Inspectors check on how the food is handled, the condition of the building and the general management of the business.
People can check the ratings for outlets in the District and elsewhere on http://ratings.food.gov.uk
FHRS was launched by the Food Standards Agency in partnership with local authorities with the aim of driving up hygiene standards.
The scheme is designed to encourage all businesses, no matter how small, to aspire to the top rating.
It is hoped an improvement in standards will reduce the incidence of foodborne illness that has been estimated at 500,000 cases a year in England.