Council Clarifies D Gradings

D gradings for food outlets are given for far more serious reasons that lack of documentation.

The City Council wants to clarify public comment made by some recipients of a D grading that the assessment was given for insufficient paper work.

The Acting Head of Environmental Protection Services, Michelle Wolfsbauer, says the D grading is given to food premises because of concerns about cleanliness, staff training and practices and management processes.

While paperwork is important to verify what a food outlet is doing, the emphasis is placed on ensuring safe food is being stored, displayed and delivered to the consumer she says.

“Those are issues to work on and we expect the outlets to take them seriously,” she says.

The City Council recently completed its annual grading inspection of the 389 food premises in the city. In all 259 received an A grading, 99 were given Bs, five received Ds and there was one E.

There is no C grading as the Council wants to provide a separation between the good and the poor gradings.

There are 25 “to be advised” where a business has started up or there’s been a recent change of ownsrship.