Council gets tough on food outlets

It's name and shame time with the Wanganui District Council adopting a hard-nosed attitude by releasing the names of local food outlets and their hygiene gradings.
The council's strategy committee set the ball rolling yesterday when it when it announced the latest gradings of nearly 200 food premises in the city and district.
And from the latest round of inspections one city takeaway outlet earned the lowest grade ? an E ? with another 23 only managing a D grading.
And the strategy committee was bullish about the new findings, unanimously supporting the publication of the full list of gradings carried out by its health inspectorate.
The premises earning the lowest grade is Springvale Takeaways at 40 Fitzherbert Ave.
The council's inspectors checked over 197 premises and of those 35 achieved an A grade, 36 a B grade, 107 a C grading, 23 a D grade and one an E grade.
Stuart Hylton, council's senior policy adviser, said council had introduced its new inspection bylaw in July. The bylaw extends the grading from A through to E, and calls for public display of these gradings. Previously only premises reaching an A or B grade publicly displayed their rating.
Mr Hylton said "critical faults in food handling" usually saw premises downgraded to D or E status. And he said the best way for these premises at the bottom end of the scale to raise their standards is for their staff to be better trained in food handling.
He said the biggest failure of Wanganui food premises occurred in the area of food handling and hygiene.
To be marked down to an E rating, the food outlet would have to have failed in more than one "critical" area. A business earning a D rating showed it had failed in one critical area only.
"To earn an A grade, the premises have to have a full complement of food handlers, they have to show no critical faults, they will have a cleaning schedule and they'll show up less than five minor faults."
Mr Hylton said for an outlet to lift itself from a D grade to a C grade or higher depended on the critical fault the inspectors found.
"It could be a large item of capital expenditure needed to get the premises to the required level or it could be getting their staff through food hygiene courses."
When council was drafting the new bylaw it told those businesses that it intended to make the gradings public. At yesterday's committee meeting councillors endorsed the publication of all the premises. At the same time it has recommended that a civic function be held early in the New Year to recognise those premises that had achieved an A rating.
Mayor Michael Laws said it was "critical" that the grading details were released.
"The public's entitled to it. We spend tens of thousands of dollars and thousands of man hours preparing this information. Why on earth would we create the gradings then not publicly notify them?" Mr Laws said.
He said recognising those who achieved the top status would prove "aspirational" for other food outlets.
Cr Rangi Wills said that without the public knowing the grading of these outlets there was little chance of those who did not measure up striving for an acceptable standard.
On his recommendation, the council will look to amend its present bylaw to make sure food outlets display their grading either on their front window or front door.
HERE IS the full list of food premises as graded by the Wanganui District Council inspectors. The inspections were done over a period starting in June with some done as late recently as December 8.
A GRADE Dublin St Service Station, Chefs Choice, BP Wanganui East, Imlay Butcher Shop, Bulk Barn Wanganui, McDonalds Express, Essence Catering, Muffinz 4 U, Dublin St Butchery, Burger King, The Bank Bar, Challenge Victoria Ave, Foodmill, Dolphin Takeaways, Wild Oats, Canaan Apiaries, Rutland Arms, Bushy Park Homestead, Puriri Country Fried Chicken, Stellar Restaurant and Bar, The Red, Wanganui Function Centre, Savages Hilltop Bakery, Adrenaline Coffee Club, T Jays, Masterfoods Australia New Zealand, BP on the Quay, McDonalds Restaurant, Liffiton Castle, Visions Restaurant and Bar, Rockgas Wanganui, Cactus Cr?me Caf?, Fraction Caf?, Reflections Caf?, Caf? Connect, 379 The Avenue Restaurant.
B GRADE Slice of Heaven, Celtic Arms, BP Avenue, Stonze Restaurant Caf? and Bar, Roasties Carvery, Carlton Fish Supply, Espresso Garden Caf?, Thai House Express 2, Midtown Motor Inn, Cleopatra's Nail and Juice Bar, Oggies Caf?, Wendy's Super Sundaes, Castlecliff Hotel, Red Eye Caf?, Abbot St Cake Shop, Land Meat NZ Ltd, Wanganui Golf Club, Jabies Doner Kebabs, Subway Sandwiches, BP Carlton Service Station, Touchdown Caf?, Red Flame, Indigo Caf? and Bar, Fitzherbert Ave Dairy, Renown Bakery, Butcharts Home Cookery, 141 Bakery/Coffee Shop, Challenge Castlecliff, Castlecliff Club, Grand Hotel and Function Centre, Domino's Pizza Wanganui, Vega, Heads Rd Lunch Bar, Celtic Fayre
C GRADE Castlecliff Camp Store, Muddy Waters, Parsons St Takeaways, Dublin St Fish Supply, Associated Auctioneers (Fordell) Ltd, Doug Roberts Motors, Midway Dairy, Aramoho Hotel, Springvale Dairy, Colombian Caf?, Dublin St Dairy, Duncan St Dairy, Guyton St Dairy, Kai Iwi Tavern, The Big Bite, Rasmusen's Poultry Farm, Savage's Cake Shop, Cake Connection, Pizza Hut Wanganui (780), Pizza Hut (726), Fitzherbert Av Home Cookery 1, Rendco, Lime Ribbon Caf?, Savage's Home Cookery, Kowhai Park Lunchbar and Dairy, Wanganui Food Service Ltd, East Side Dairy, New Fast Food Takeaway, Durie Hill Store, The Munch Bar, Avoca Hotel, Peking Restaurant, Grand Meats Ltd, Hilltop Fish Supply, Yallah Distribution, Side-Walk Caf?, Trax Restaurant, Seahorse Takeaways, Alma Junction Dairy, Danny's Karaoke Bar and Caf?, Aramoho Mini Market, Aramoho Fruit and Vege Mart, Mid Avenue Takeaway, Aramoho Lunch Bar and Takeaways, Wanganui Produce Centre, Cracked Pepper, Discount House, Maggie's, Elms Restaurant, Glasgow Takeaways, Bollywood Star's Indian Restaurant, Ingestre Street Foodmarket, Veg Shed (2), Tomai Takeaways, Tawhero Golf Complex (2000) Ltd, The Hospital Shop Foodmarket, Legends Caf? and Restaurant , KFC (520), Kebabholik, Victoria's Restaurant and Bar, Hysteria, RSA, Fordell Hotel, Seaview Store, Puriri Takeaways, Veg Shed (3), Happy Chinese Takeaways, Lakeview Caf? and Bar, Magic Wok, Pylon Dairy, Steak Out Takeaways, Durie Hill Fishshop, Glasgow St Dairy and Takeaways, Wing Wah Restaurant, George's Fisheries, Gaslight Bakery, Jolt Coffee House, Polson St Takeaways, Raukawa Falls Store, Thistle Sweet Shop, Big Orange/Ceramic Wine Bar, Gonville Sports Bar and Caf?, Embassy 3 Cinema, Wanganui Cosmopolitan Club, Black Cat Fisheries Ltd, The Waterman, Wang Boys and Girls Gym Club, Rangitikei St Store, Crystal Valley, Cooks Gardens Westpac Stadium, Affco Imlay Canteen, Tudor Mini Mart, Mayfair Deli, Harper St Dairy, Balgownie Store, Grub's Up, Industrial Foods Ltd, Stadium Canteen, Pickwick Parlour (2004) Ltd, Amadeus Riverbank Caf?
D GRADE Nigel Baker Asparagus, The Great Wok, New Wing Wah Takeaway, Sportz Bar and Grill, Abbot St Dairy, Wanganui Fish Wholesales, Simply Curry, China Duan Takeaways, Westlea Dairy, Alma Rd Dairy, Gonville Fruit and Vegetables, Abbot St Takeaways, Pete's Pies, Fairfield Dairy, Beijing Licensed Chinese Restaurant, Somme Parade Takeaways, Carlton Foodmarket, Gonville Service Station, Espresso Caf?, Wanganui East Meat Market, Wanganui Sports Lounge, Hong Kong Restaurant.
E GRADE Springvale Takeaways