To determine the food hygiene indicators that can be used by customers to objectively judge hygiene

• Project start date: 1 September 2007
• Project status: Completed
• Project type: Food safety
• Discipline: Microbiology and food hygiene
• Author/s: Mr. Martin Roper, Excellence Ireland Quality Association, Dublin
• Collaborator/s: Single supplier

Research objective

A Safefood media campaign commenced in August/September 2007 aimed at promoting good food hygiene standards in food outlets and empowering customers to address any issues that they may find. Compliance with food safety standards is enforced by other agencies. However, from the perspective of the consumer, a need exists to develop a simple "customer checklist" that could be used by anyone purchasing food in food businesses. 

A key part of the checklist development process was a pilot programme of “mystery shopper” audits in a sample of 60 food operations across the island of Ireland with thirty locations in Northern Ireland and 30 locations in the Republic of Ireland. The pilot programme was conducted by experienced auditors with detailed knowledge of the food retail and service sectors.

Outputs

Research report

• Title: Unpublished report

Other outputs

Food safety campaigns

Safefoood Speak Out campaigns 2007-2009