Food poisoning insurance wins little support

Restaurateurs have criticised a food poisoning insurance policy as opportunist and a waste of money.

Restaurant Protect covers food-borne illnesses, accidental contamination, malicious contamination and extortion.

It is designed to protect caterers against the drop in earnings that inevitably follows an outbreak.

Martin Irons, owner of the48-seat Martin's restaurant in Edinburgh, said: "It could lull restaurateurs into a false sense of security."

But a Government report has revealed that food poisoning affects 9.5 million people a year and costs the economy £743ma year.

Ian McKerracher, chief executive of the Restaurant Association, said: "I wonder whether this is a bit opportunist because of all the recent media coverage."

Despite such scepticism, Michael da Costa, managing director of Groupe Chez Gérard's Richoux Café Restaurant Group and Mark Ryder, owner of the 35-seat Nomad restaurant in Wareham, Dorset, both support the policy in principle.

But Shaun Hill, owner of 24-seat the Merchant House in Ludlow, Shropshire, said: "I find it humorous anyone would actually spend money on this."