The Restaurant and Catering Association (RCA) has welcomed a new food safety rating system for Brisbane businesses.
The Brisbane City Council will use information from its regular audits to rate the city’s 6,000 eateries by the end of the year.
Those with less than two stars will be made to fix problems.
It will not be compulsory for businesses to display their rating but Lord Mayor Campbell Newman says public pressure will force dodgy outlets to lift their game.
"We want to provide some transparency for the public so they know what they’re getting," he said..jpg)
Restaurant disclosure gets people talking about food safety, be it a letter grade, smiley face, or stars, people will notice. Same thing happens when Burton Cummings performs, people notice (it’s a Winnipeg thing). Restaurant inspections are merely a snap shot in time and what goes on when the inspector leaves is your best guess. Running a restaurant is not easy and the last thing a restaurant operator wants to have is a horrible inspection rating. Disclosing information to the public may compel operators to work with health inspectors and develop a relationship to achieve one common goal- less barfing.