Food rating lies exposed by BBC secret recording | BBC News

An undercover BBC investigation has revealed businesses have been displaying inaccurate food hygiene ratings in England and Wales, with many lying about them when challenged.
Secret recording captured businesses from small local restaurants to a supermarket chain, misleading customers with inaccurate Food Standards Agency (FSA) ratings, in what experts say is a nationwide problem.
Where places lied when asked about their ratings, one expert said this amounted to fraud.
Confronted with the evidence, some businesses did not respond at all while others denied any deliberate deception.
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#FSA #FoodSafety #BBCNews

[@Uncle_Sam_II]

why still open with a 0 rating...

[@flyagaric1607]

councils make money on the ground rent.

[@jessieb7290]

And run by immigrants 🙄

[@Ahmed-gg4oz]

because they already paid their license to operate

[@ThePursuit-o2w]

Yeah where I’m from if a restaurant badly fails a health inspection then they must close until they can show they have made necessary changes.

[@sporter113]

There's technically lower ratings than 0, it's just that you're not allowed to remain open if you drop below 0. If you thought of the 5 grade as 10, 4 as 9, 3 as 8, 2 as 7, 1 as 6, 0 as 5, and the ungraded places as below 5, it would make more sense. Remember the numbers are made up to try and represent the truth of the standards.

[@JamWake-wk1zn]

Can’t the hygiene officers hand out a sticker with QR code on it that directs you an official website to check if it’s official? And if you don’t have a QR code it means it’s fake?

[@DDSizeBra]

Agreed! This would be a great idea so that people know that the score shown is actually up to date, rather than an old sign with their best score 5 years ago.

[@MikeOB1981]

Problem solved

[@milo2324]

is there no list on their website, where you can check that busisness rating yourself and compare what is on the sticker on their window?

[@1milliondogs]

That would require a govermnent board to run effectively and efficiently.

[@Man.from.the.90sgeneration]

Good idea

[@ozzmundo5095]

anything under 3 star should be closed till its corrected

[@Patrick-y4d1z]

A 0 absolutely should be closed until fixed - why is that not a thing?

[@antwandarellefenton]

💯💯💯💯💯

[@gerrardanderson6376]

@@Patrick-y4d1zcause they don’t normally have to shut them down , usually the place will replace the chefs and clean the kitchen down

[@samlee86421]

Anything under 5 you mean

[@Bullsquid592]

the rating system is more complicated than it seems, getting a zero/ 1 score usually means you have an immediate issue that needs fixing now, sometimes they will force a closure for the duration of fixing and sometimes they will find ways around it by marking a peice of faulty equipent as out of order. therefore the place can stay open. there are scores below zero as well but the score isnt important to the resteraunt or the public, the individual issues are relevant to the establishment and the closure is relevant to the public.therefore these scores dont need to be shown. this is a very poor explanation by the bbc of a complicated subject

[@terinagray9447]

Places lying should be shut down immediately!

[@romzimus893]

Alright shut down Sainsburys then go on mate

[@aethellstan]

@@romzimus893 individual sites can be shut down, whether it's sainsburys or not.

[@itsoccamsrazor]

@@romzimus893 we can start with the filthy third world shops first mate

[@codswallop164]

"places lying should be shutdown"..... The BBC wouldn't be on air if that was so.

[@adenwellsmith6908]

That's the end of the BBC then.

[@Ivan-fs7go]

There are no sense in 5 points rating. It must work like this: health hazard = no license to operate, otherwise it is ok

[@ThisWorldMakesMeSad]

HOW DARE YOU STEAL MONEY FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE POLITICIANS, THEY WILL SEND OUR KIDS TO WAR TO SEND A MESSAGE.

[@connect1affect711]

I agree. Where I live (San Diego, California) county inspectors post placards with letter grades. A is best, B is acceptable, C or lower, the business is closed by order of the health department.

[@svenkamog2232]

Very little concern for others health and safety , when it comes to making a profit 🤨

[@susanb4816]

How is it legal to stay in business with any dangerous food?

[@milo2324]

they blame assistant. remember it is never ever the owner's fault.

[@HartleyHare-p4d]

Cant close em. Its wayceest

[@WhichDoctor1]

They said in the report that it’s fraud. They are literally committing fraud. But the thing with something being illegal is you have to have people to find descover the crimes and resources to prosecute them. local governments funding has beed cut by a third over the last decade, so they don’t have the money to spend having inspectors wandering the streets checking for accurate signs. And even if they did police numbers are far lower now than there were 15 years ago, and the courts have been hit even harder with budget cuts, pay cuts and even courthouses falling down due to lack of maintenance. So even if you could get the police involved actually getting anything through the courts would be a long protracted nightmare and only clog up space that could be used to prosecute more serious crimes. you can have all the laws in the world, the tories loved passing new laws. But if you defund the police and court system like they did no one’s going to enforce them

[@sam-jj4fm]

if they are serving dangerous food the premises will be immediately shut down. think chopping raw meat on same chopping board as fruit. the reason you can be rated 0 and still be open is because theres no severe problems, but a lot of smaller ones. maybe a fridge is 0.2 degrees above 5 degrees C. paperwork missing, hot water temp not hot enough. just a bit of chaos, but nothing that makes the actual production of food a direct threat. inspectors DO swab tests etc. too. they are thorough. source: worked in kitchens my whole life

[@JeffreyGoddin]

No. Finding a trap does NOT suggest a problem. It demonstrates an active pest control program. Traps are just there for detection, so you know when you have a problem. Which isn't to say that this curry shop or whatever isn't an absolute hazards, just that traps are actually a good sign.

[@itsoccamsrazor]

fellow pestie knows, i WANT to see bait stations

[@Patrick-y4d1z]

And all the dirt and grime showing that it hasn't been cleaned in weeks or months?

[@JohnDoe-pk2hs]

​@@Patrick-y4d1z Typically when you're cleaning a trap it's because something tripped it.

[@JeffreyGoddin]

@@Patrick-y4d1z As I said, this shop could very well be filthy, but a trap is no indication of that. This commentary was slightly incorrect, is all I was saying.

[@DaemonJax]

True. The traps should be in place to know IF you have a problem.

[@slacksmeridian]

After watching this I think the only way I'm ever gonna lose weight is to become a safety inspector. I might never eat again.

[@milo2324]

😂😂😂😂

[@naseeha101]

😂

[@denisemoore8536]

Pretty stupid system - if the sign can be posted by the restaurant. In my country, the sign is only available to be posted by the inspector - common sense no?

[@andrewjones-productions]

Common sense isn't common in the disUnited Kingdump.

[@melee4138]

You can - if you think to before hand - check the business via your local council hygiene website. I don’t think theres even any law that says you need to display your rating publicly. It should be mandatory and put there by the inspector right on the door

[@denisemoore8536]

@@andrewjones-productions the whole world is gone dumb

[@denisemoore8536]

@@melee4138 Our inspectors place this rating annually themselves in the store - it's a conflict of interest for a store owner to do this

[@Jerkal]

@@melee4138 It is legally required that the stickers must be displayed prominently that can be easily seen by customers.

[@KeithRingo]

The joke here is you get a zero and youre still allowed to sell food anyway

[@Corin-v6o]

I’m a chef and I’ll think you’ll find the EHO only gives you a hygiene rating based on the paperwork you fill out. They don’t do enough spot checks

[@alik4325]

Agreed

[@RJA]

That's why when the EHO turn up you instantly give them the paperwork first. If the paperwork is all good they won't bother really checking everything. I really hate how the industry is more focused on paperwork/labelling. We are told to put a 2 day use by date on things yet for a lot of food that's dumb and you will replace the label which is wrong. Labelling is super important, but a good chef should know when things need to be put on wastage and not used..

[@Elberto71]

Due diligence

[@claudiasimpson7277]

Inspection must be secretly done. No phone calls or email to say inspection today or next week, just sudden

[@jameswrp]

Yes they are, that's how it works. Unless you have an in -house auditor (not local council) which tells you when they're coming

[@RJA]

They are supposed to be secret but a lot of businesses in the same area are done at a similar time. So word gets around and places clean their act up just in case.

[@MrDanlancelot]

"places lying about their rating COULD be in trouble"......could?? this isn't even a case where they can claim ignorance or incompetence, like saying they forget to change the sign. they straight up claimed they had 4 or 5 ratings to the reporter. also, I don't think "we accidentally left the old sign up" should ever be a defense. these places should be immediately shut down and the owners never allowed to run a business, alongside any fines or other punishments

[@raedjibrail]

And large retailers, like Sainsbury's shouldn't be allowed to get away with it either. The regulators need more powers to enforce fines etc.

[@thisismetoday]

How can it NOT be fraud? And what will the government do about this large-scale problem? Lastly, why are places still open with anything less than 3. In Germany, your licence to operate is cancelled until you make improvements!

[@JMMin-Kahan]

You mentioned big companies but went for the small businesses 😂

[@JMMin-Kahan]

I love how u went for brown people only 😂 like we don't see it.

[@RustyShackleford66]

So in a nutshell, they all got away with it with zero repercussions! Sounds about right for doormat Britain. Complete waste of time.

[@aggiet4545]

Maybe the stickers should be dated with inspection dates.

[@_ArsNova]

A lot of them are forgeries anyway. A QR code along with it that leads to the current rating would be better.

[@bustar1974]

dates are on the back of the sticker

[@ReggieDunn-g5r]

Why would you let them trade!

[@yetidodger6650]

because they pay rates and taxes......

[@HartleyHare-p4d]

Cant close them. They'll start spitting their dummies out and play the race card.

[@markparti]

I've gotten food poisoning from reputable restaurants in different countries I remember one time I was in an ambulance with food poisoning and I asked the ER staff that was in the ambulance if they were getting other reports of food poisoning from the same place and they said five people got poisoning from the same place that day and this was a well-known chain

[@takiherosquires1372]

Food hygene shouldnt have a scale, just a "safe to eat" or "not safe to eat, so you cant do business yet"

[@martinwyke]

Impose big fines and costs to cover enforcement. It took me less than a minute to find fake stickers for sale online and PDFs for self printing.

[@itsoccamsrazor]

they just change ownership to that of there cousin

[@z_unknown]

Food safety investigation needed all over the world

[@bernob9770]

This is crazy!

[@adrikhankant6170]

I worked in a restaurant for more than 9 years, we always knew when the inspector was coming.

[@jessieb7290]

This is why I no longer eat out or get takeaways; plus it saves money.

[@Ahmed-gg4oz]

Eating out is a big industry Jessie it's safe just pick a clean place to eat at

[@garyk1334]

How do you know who's clean if they're lying , you don't​@@Ahmed-gg4oz

[@Watermeloncatendorser]

Ahmed I don’t think kings kebab is gonna be 5 star nor the nisa round the corner but please enlighten me wise one

[@srbnsn]

A lot of restaurants and takeaways are 5 star hygiene rating though so your point makes no sense.

[@HartleyHare-p4d]

The last 7 i've had were garbage😢

[@alexgee6393]

What is even more worrying is that this is even more prevalent on food delivery sites.

[@flyagaric1607]

They hold utter disdain and contempt for their customers. There should be a bare minimum of 3 to stay open. Fine them £5000 and give it to our pensioners.

[@AS-jm9uk]

EHOs are supposed to remove the previous rating sticker from display if the rating score has dropped and a food business can (bizarrely) still operate and sell food even if they are rated a zero. There is also no requirement in England for the food hygiene rating to be displayed (not the case in Wales). 👀

[@magdas1698]

For citizens of almost every European country living in the UK this is little surprise, u can see a lack of accountability and law execution in this country almost on every level, sheer mockery:(

[@doomyman]

agreed

[@abispanner3957]

As someone who worked in the catering industry, anything under a 4 is appalling and places should be closed down until they can prove things have improved

[@LynnD0109]

My husband said when they had inspections in London, managers would often give the inspector a free meal to lie. Who gives them the signs. Shouldn’t they be a controlled document.

[@takers786]

you can easily forge a sticker

[@Jackiehutchings23]

In Canada, stores get shut down when below a certain level .

[@srbnsn]

As they should.

[@PaulSmith-c3r]

IF YOU DON'T MAKE IT MANDATORY TO CHANGE THE STICKERS...IT WILL CONTINUE. If it was mandatory the EHO could remove the old sticker!

[@RJA]

Doesn't matter, it's not mandatory to display them so the business would just remove the bad rating anyway.

[@PaulSmith-c3r]

@@RJA That's what I meant. This country is far too soft about EVERYTHING!

[@mishjas8084]

Shocking!!

[@cactus3796]

and theyre all foreign... what a surprise

[@WhichDoctor1]

This is what happens when you slash the budgets of local authorities and government departments for over a decade. Little things like this that only effect the little people fall by the wayside

[@geoffpoole483]

I think that inspectors used to have the legal powers to close a business in order for it to get cleaned up. It used to be common for takeaways to suddenly close for a few weeks.

[@RJA]

Not just that but this is what happens when restaurants cut back on staff wages. You can't expect a good hygiene rating if you don't employ enough chefs to run a kitchen properly.

[@BlueMax333]

Food Standards Agency (FSA) should be prosecuting these liars. Why has that not happened?

[@SpamMouse]

I did a review of our local food outlets with zero/one stars, ALL were of a certain demographic for whom English was a second/third language. Details on YOUR local council web-site.

[@ozonzechibudike4293]

demographic? call their names 'Sainsburys'

[@TomAlgie]

130 businesses in Newham alone have a zero or one rating. Dangerous or Urgent. The list on Newham Council website can be listed by worst to best rating. Plus 250 new businesses awaiting inspection.

[@lh3428]

It’s not just in the UK. When I found roaches in a U.S. sausage plant, they tried to bribe me with free sausages.

[@smush5653]

Not free roaches then?

[@MrEvanDavidson]

Why not include the names of the businesses that are lying about their ratings? "An establishment in such and such location" is much less informative than this exact place with this name at this address. How are viewers supposed to really know which places the BCC identified as lying they should avoid for safety?

[@levibull6063]

Leytonstone high road Just avoid

[@minimalman9202]

Take measures immediately!

[@djjoshuahall]

Should be banned from selling food if incorrect information is given

[@raybloodypurchase1941]

This is how to fix the issue: - Inspector has to put up the score in an agreed location. - Re-evaluated scores must be done within one month. - Any tampering with score sticker results in an immediate £2000 fine. - Zero rated establishments are closed immediately. - License to establishment revoked within 6 months if no change is witnessed.

[@tech1238]

Put the real ratings on a public website. Problem solved

[@Hitlo-fd2gy]

Bbc is not doing that because they are all p3dophil3s

[@srbnsn]

ratings.food.gov.uk/ You’re welcome.

[@eddie4324]

That would mean doing a bit of work by the local council.

[@geoffpoole483]

They already are.

[@Bert-hy5ek]

As with so many government bodies they fail to earn their funding. Food premises that don’t reach a required standard should be closed and the owners heavily fined

[@briancoombes9789]

Close them down immediately and ban them from the industry

[@165mukhahd]

shut down immediately!

[@martin8159]

Disgusting Close them immediately!

[@DevonPixie1991]

It’s why I always check the rating of anywhere online AND the date it was inspected. There are some places locally that have had their ratings seemingly go up at a re inspection only to go right down at the next routine inspection.

[@wozz91]

A trap does not indicate an issue. Prevention is better than cure

[@daftirishmarej1827]

Eat at home...

[@anglo-dutchsausage344]

Supermarkets in London are also pretty filthy

[@06howea1]

sort it out

[@Thethewho]

I used to work in F&B, good hygiene practise was only used when the health inspector was coming that day. Aint no way we can maintain the hygiene practise everyday with the amount of work

[@mamapapalong]

Exactly...

[@geoffpoole483]

A lot of the good hygiene practices are common sense. Which you obviously lack.

[@RJA]

​@@geoffpoole483That's true but if a place is understaffed (which is very common especially amongst chefs) then maintaining hygiene standards isn't easy.

[@kamranabid1214]

I feel BBC should have blurred the faces of these employees. If there is someone higher up who has made the decision to lie about these rating then showing these employees faces is unfair… Does the BBC know these people shown here were the ones who were lying in the first place, or just an employee who’s manager has advertised a false score?

[@Walgriff]

More reporting like this please - about real issues

[@earnestequivocation6250]

Can we afford safety inspectors? Didn’t the Tories get rid?

[@Dreamon74]

All these people should be closed down and never be allowed to open a business in the UK again

[@Yvo19]

"Could be in trouble?" Eh...

[@MrTomadevil]

No offence, but most of these places are owned by immigrants...

[@Nasim-r6s6m]

That is because you are too poor to open businesses.

[@DakoseSan2]

No offence but takeaways are overwhelmingly run by minorities and "immigrants". It would be confirmation bias to suggest this was related.

[@thisismetoday]

They should have asked the government about it!??

[@JMMin-Kahan]

They're checked once a year if that

[@ItsMe-yv9jd]

?? Of course these so called 'serious journalists cannot be bothered to mention where the stores are getting the display sticker with a 5... inspectors should remove the 'out dated' sticker after an inspection and post the new sticker when they leave, with the date of most recent inspection printed on the sticker for the public to see. (No confusion allowed as no old stickers can be used by stores!)

[@ejlouw6659]

“5 star” - “not true, and nor is this: both places have terrible hygiene ratings” 😂

[@favouro9541]

No wonder people are sick after eating out. Please cook your food at home. God help us

[@theotheleo6830]

Are they counterfeit stickers or old stickers that the inspectors expect the owners to update themselves?

[@b30233]

Here in Toronto we have a "Dine Safe" program. Its a pass fail system with a date and signature on the certificate so its hard to replicate or get away with out dated signs. Places with a 0 or 1 on this scale would be shut down by authorities until issues are rectified, 2 or 3 would be a yellow conditional pass and list the issues on it and 4 or 5 would simply be a green PASS sign. Its much harder to fake and if you don't spot the sign in a conspicuous place, its likely not certified and operating illegally (ie. don't eat there)

[@BeachcomberNZ]

"Would you... would you care for a rat?" - Basil Fawlty

[@cameronrobin_]

Used to do deliveroo and often would go through a side/back door to pick up directly from a restaurant kitchen and let me tell you, there are a LOT of places that I haven't eaten at ever since

[@somerandomfella]

In Australia the council gives you a food licence. Either you pass or you don't. Blame the rating system..

[@ShutUpCleanYourMonitor]

in Australia, I still get diarrhea.

[@shaunmaxwell9948]

What about scotland

[@clarakomets]

This is shocking!

[@Duu2]

In the USA food providers are forcibly shut down until they meet minimum requirements for commercial operations. Places with violations are also fined and put on probation with more frequent inspections. I’m surprised the uk nanny state doesn’t do this already!

[@JustBaileey]

There should be no rating system. It should only be, safe to sell and serve food or eat and buy at your own risk. Scan QR code for video and photos.

[@tootSweet66]

Health Inspectors should be removing stickers at their inspection that do not match their inspection findings and Inspectors should be given powers to immediately force a business to close its doors and lock up (including bringing Police to enforce it) any outlet found to be displaying a fraudulent rating.

[@feresmourali5783]

The big surprise is that people are surprised.

[@BluntyBlue-e1l]

Imagine paying for a tv licence 😂😂😂😂😂

[@douglasrose8623]

Verified food standard ratings should be integrated into Google Maps, Apple Maps etc. Simple, effective solution. Fake stickers are very hard to enforce - not realistic

[@darrendoolan5161]

All workers should be audit ready at all times.

[@Ssp-sv7dp]

All depends if the inspectors know what they're doing and 4 is perfectly fine..even 3 is ok...years ago there was no such thing and people were ok

[@cripplingblight]

I'm sorry but getting a 5 star is so so so easy. I don't understand how you can't get a 5 star! It's so easy!

[@AmmiV2]

Major corps get away with it

[@ayounglivelysoulinanoldtir3512]

so many people know nothing about food hygene. iv'e seen cake shops, where the cakes on display in the window have wasps burrowing into them. one day, my brother bought some jam donuts from a supermarket instore bakery &, when he opened the packet he was digusted to find 2 bluebottles, crawling around on the donuts inside! i once went into a bakeshop with the intention of buying some cheese pasties for my lunch, & i saw an assistant spraying cleaning fluid onto the inner surface of a glass showcase pannel, without removing the food. you could see the mist spray settleing on the sausage rolls & meat pies!!! so i bought my lunch elsewhere!!!🤮🤢

[@ShroomJ]

Surely the food inspector can/should update the stickers?

[@garyk1334]

Shut them down immediately

[@paulfarr7]

None of them are bothered. Should make it an offence, punishable by fines.

[@Alex1233192]

and who does anything about it? I know so many places where food is sold in areas which are unsanitary and they never were bothered. Thanks for the news BBC, no worries nothing will change and people will forget about this till next week

[@Steve-bi2ic]

Require the sticker to be an e-paper label like the automatic pricing ones at supermarkets. That way it can be updated remotely when the ratings change.

[@FreeRsGuides]

Now i know that its not safe to eat out in the UK..

[@FormalityBear]

It's important these investigations continue to take place to ensure public and consumer safety isn't being overlooked. I think supermarkets that employ contract cleaners should also be investigated and also there own staff when cleaning too. The storage at my local Sainsburys is appalling and the hygiene too, not just in food hygiene, but how everyone uses dirty contractors cloths to wipe down food products. How nobody wears gloves when handling these products and the cleaners themselves. I have seen first hand that a lot of cleaners that are young have a can't be assed attitude. Even at my job. We are supposed to clean up our work stations 10 minutes before the end of the day, everybody doesn't do it and complains when I take an extra 5 minutes to clean up. Hygiene in all forms is incredibly important to maintain good hygiene and health and well-being wherever you are and wherever you go. Cleaning is an important job and maintaining hygiene is something that seems to delude a lot of people. The problem is when the public complain about the living cost crises, you are going into work with no passion and motivation to do the job properly and that's when hygiene takes a back seat.

[@physicalfitness7807]

Anyone who goes to this places thinking they are 5 , need a sense check.

[@ventusprime]

Just make it online.

[@NickRobinson-ri4hu]

How about the inspector has to both review and install the sign and that legally it cannot be removed (maybe even some electronic thing that triggers if removed...). They have random checks that if the sign isn't in place instant fine, The fee increases considerably following each violating.

[@CharlesMarino-x9e]

"Our food is no longer contaminated with E. coli, and there has been a significant reduction in the smell of urine!" 😄

[@srbnsn]

It doesn’t help also that places can have good google and food delivery reviews but bad hygiene ratings, making you believe that their hygiene rating is fine as people aren’t aware.

[@Shrekeo]

Slough, Berkshire has loads of places getting away with this!

[@Ealdor-Bana]

Interestingly the majority of food ratings are based on paperwork and documentation. I have seen so many places have 4-5 food hygiene but bad paperwork like no daily temp checks etc. that will get you a 0-1 instantly Source: i have been a chef for many years in hotels, restaurants etc. also work with H&S

[@RJA]

Most of the paperwork isn't actually carried out properly anyway, false temps recorded just because as a chef you ain't always got time to check every fridge temp. Not only that but hot holding/cold holding temps are supposed to be taken every 2 hours DURING SERVICE which just isn't feasible.

[@Lambandpotatocurry]

Send them to prison

[@TorpisoulYT]

So the rating system is redundant

[@adambull2027]

Surely the shop shouldn't be allowed to touch the green stickers. And if the place comes below a 2 should be closed until changes made?