Diners urged to check hygiene ratings before making Christmas bookings

The Food Standard Agency (FSA) is urging diners to check food hygiene ratings before booking Christmas meals.

Its latest poll found that 34% of people said they had suspected they had contracted food poisoning from eating out.

However, of the 2,500 people quizzed, 40% didn't check hygiene ratings before booking.

The biggest concern of Christmas meal bookers was that the food wouldn't be enjoyable (25%), while 8% were most concerned about price and only 3.2% had worries about the restaurant's hygiene.

Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme head Catriona Stewart said: "Nobody wants the embarrassment of booking a Christmas meal that is less than perfect. The people we spoke to through our poll spend a lot of time and effort planning festive meals to make sure their family and friends have a good time, yet very few make food hygiene a top priority.

‘We are urging everybody to look before they book if planning that special Christmas meal."

The scheme rates restaurants from 0 to 5, with 0 being the worst rating.