A CAFE in the centre of Warrington has been slapped with a low hygiene rating by the Food Standards Agency.

An inspection has deemed that 'major improvements' are required at the town centre cafe.

The FSA is responsible for ensuring that establishments follow legal procedures relating to the management of food hygiene and safety.

Familiar to many, green stickers displaying a rating between one and five that are in restaurant windows are issued by the FSA.

A cafe on Buttermarket Street in Warrington town centre has been given a rating of one-out-of-five by the FSA.

Hideaway Cafe, at 1-3 Buttermarket Street, was inspected on August 2 and the new rating was revealed on the FSA's website.

There is a delay between inspections taking place and a hygiene rating being made public by the FSA.

Establishments are inspected against the following criteria:

  • Hygienic food handling - Hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage.
  • Management of food safety - System or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.
  • Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building - Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building (including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene.

In terms of hygienic food handling, Hideaway Cafe was found to be 'generally satisfactory.'

However, improvements are necessary in the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and the building.

The FSA also found that 'major improvements' are necessary regarding the management of food safety at Hideaway Cafe.

All information is taken from the Food Standards Agency's website, and is accurate at the time of writing.