Food hygiene ratings plan scrapped over budget

Food hygiene inspections are "resource intensive" to carry out, the Manx Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister said

Plans to introduce a food hygiene rating system on the Isle of Man have been scrapped due to budgetary pressures.

Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister Clare Barber said the amount of resources that would be needed for such a system had been "underestimated".

Her predecessor Geoffrey Boot's plan to introduce ratings was rejected by Tynwald in 2022.

Ms Barber pledged to organise regular workshops with business and said a pilot exercise would determine which "high risk" food premises needed to be prioritised by inspectors.

'Spot checks'

Carrying out regular inspections would be very "resource intensive", she told Tynwald.

The island's environmental health team said it could only allocate one full-term role to carrying out food safety inspections rather than the five needed for a hygiene rating system.

The team currently prioritises inspecting "high risk" organisations including hospitals, care homes, schools and food manufacturers.

Restaurants, cafes and takeaway, meanwhile, are not routinely inspected.

Ms Barber said questionnaires would initially be sent to 60 of these businesses to ask about their food practices, customers and premises.

Those who do not respond - along with organisations determined to be "high risk" from their replies - will be inspected.

Ms Barber said the team would consider the effectiveness of this model and whether it should be expanded.

She said she would update Tynwald early next year.

The questionnaires will run alongside mandatory workshops and quarterly bulletins provided to businesses with themes from recent inspections and guidance, she said.

MHK Lawrie Hooper warned the government's proposals were a "risky proposition" due to a reliance upon "self-assessment" by businesses.

Ms Barber said spot checks would help to validate the information they provide.