Food Standards Agency
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Food Hygiene Rating Scheme local authority grants announced

The Agency has announced a further round of grant funding for local authorities in England and Northern Ireland adopting the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.

The scheme helps consumers choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving them information about the hygiene standards in restaurants, cafés, takeaways, hotels and food shops.

The scheme has been gathering momentum since it was formally launched on 30 November 2010 – a total of 57 authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are publishing ratings at food.gov.uk/ratings. And by the end of June 2011, many of the 167 that received grant awards in previous funding rounds will have rolled out the scheme in their areas.

The Government’s endorsement of the recommendations in Lord Young’s October 2010 report 'Common Sense, Common Safety', has set a clear direction of travel for the scheme and the aim is that it will be up and running in all local authority areas in time for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. This round of funding will help achieve this aim and it builds on the success of the previous rounds.

About funding

Funding will be given for start-up activities that will be key to a successful launch locally of the scheme.

The funding is primarily for local authorities that did not receive grants in the previous rounds, with bids from authorities that are involved with the 2012 Games being particularly encouraged.

Consideration will also be given to awarding a local authority a second grant for new or different activities where this is justified.

Closing date for applications

For applications received by Wednesday 6 April 2011, we will aim to assess and inform local authorities of the outcome by Thursday 28 April, so that projects can begin in early May 2011. Otherwise, the final closing date for applications is Wednesday 4 May 2011.

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