Where can I read about the food safety ratings in restaurants in China?

At least here in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia I see posters/signs on the wall of most restaurants that seem to be issued by some government body giving a food safety rating.

Only three ratings are possible:

A green smiling face.
A yellow expressionless face.
A red frowning face.

Shanghai food safety rating sign
^{Shanghai: 食品安全监督公示 "food safety inspection notification" - Thanks to [Harald Groven / Flickr][4] for the photo.}

Hohhot food safety rating sign
^{Hohhot, Inner Mongolia: 餐饮服食品安全等级公示 "Food Safety Grades Notification" - Photo by hippietrail.}

But where can I read what they mean? Does the red frowning face mean "gutter oil detected" or "received more than ten complaints over twelve months" or "botulism / E. Coli found in samples" etc?

Best Answer

According to an international food safety blog about the issue, they mean:

a green smiley face means a restaurant has exceeded inspection requirements
A yellow face means the restaurant passed the inspection
a red 'frowny' face means it failed.

Of course, this does not tell you how stringent these requirements are. At least it means it's not 'x number of complaints' as you suggested - it's actually getting inspected by the government, so is at least an official standards-based recognition.

Pictures about "Where can I read about the food safety ratings in restaurants in China?"

Which country is food hygiene rating score mandatory?

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is run by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and local authorities. Display became mandatory in Wales in November 2013 and October 2016 in Northern Ireland.

Do restaurants have to display food hygiene rating?

Food businesses, including takeaways and restaurants, should be required to display an up-to-date food hygiene rating on the premises and if they have an online presence for customers ordering food from home.

How food hygiene ratings are scored?

The rating given depends on how well the business does overall \u2013 the total score. It also depends on the area(s) that need improving the most - the business may do better in some areas and less well in others. To get the top rating, you must score no more than 5 in each of the three areas.

What are the food hygiene ratings in order?

1 = Major Improvement Needed. 2 = Some Improvement Needed. 3 = Satisfactory. 4 = Good.

Food Safety Standards in China.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Laura James, Mat Brown, Pixabay, Pixabay