Although living in a foreign country, I believe that most people still have a "Chinese stomach" and want to have a familiar taste from time to time.
In recent years, everyone's Chinese food choices have also increased, and they are all authentic, such as spicy hot, barbecue, Northeast cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, everything. In addition, there are more and more well-known Chinese catering brands "going overseas", such as Heytea and Haidilao.
Most people in London should have eaten Haidilao, although abroad, but the service, dishes are similar to those in China, there is a feeling of not going abroad when you walk in, or that taste. But in the past two days, Haidilao has been mired in huge controversy as food safety authorities in many parts of the UK have updated the hygiene ratings of restaurants in their jurisdictions.
At present, Haidilao has three stores in the UK, two in London and one in Birmingham.
It can be seen that in this rating, the one near Chinatown in London and the one in Birmingham scored only 2 points. And this one in London O2 is even more exaggerated, happy to mention 0 points!
Maybe you don't know how heavyweight this score is, let's popularize science.
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is designed to help consumers choose where to eat out or buy food by providing them with clear information about a business's hygiene standards, with a score given by the local authority's food safety officer.
Grading Scale:
5: The hygiene standard is very good
4: Good hygiene standards
3: Hygiene standards are generally satisfactory
2: Some improvements are needed
1: Significant improvements are needed
0: Urgent improvement is needed
That is to say, there are three stores in total, none of them are clean, two have problems but can be saved, and the remaining one is incurable and needs to be taken immediately.
In fact, this is not the first time Haidilao has won 0 duck eggs, in November 2022, the Birmingham branch won this "award", and it was also scolded at that time.
Thankfully, the store received 5 stars in the December re-rating. It seems that Haidilao really needs to whip a whip to manage sanitation well, obviously you can get 5 stars, why can't you keep it?
In fact, although poor hygiene may save trouble for restaurant people, but it will seriously affect the dining experience of customers, which is also the reason why the UK has a hygiene rating.
Generally, at the time of the inspection, the officer will check the following three elements:
how hygienic the food is handled (how the food is prepared, cooked, reheated, cooled and stored);
The physical condition of the restaurant (including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control, and other facility hygiene)
How operators manage ways to keep food safe (review processes, training for employees, and management systems)
That is to say, if the points are deducted from the rating, it means that some of these three points are not in place, and if it is 0 points, it means that all of these three points are either not up to standard, or there is a very serious problem.
Sure enough, now there are many people who have begun to avoid lightning Haidilao, and some people say that they have not seen a store with a score of 0 for so many years, which basically means that the situation is very bad when inspecting, including but not limited to cockroaches, rats running around, raw and cooked food is not separated, and all kinds of utensils are dirty......
If everyone doesn't consume, this must not be the result that Haidilao wants to see.
However, there is one thing to say, the UK still attaches great importance to food safety issues.
First, the UK government ensures the safety and quality of food through a range of laws, standards and regulatory bodies. The Food Standards Agency is one of the main agencies responsible for regulating food safety and hygiene, it is responsible for setting and enforcing food standards, and overseeing safety in the production and distribution of food. There are also a number of other regulatory bodies and organisations in the UK, such as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which also play an important role in food safety. Food producers and sellers in the UK must meet strict regulations and standards or they will face severe penalties.
And for people, you can choose to report food issues, including hygiene issues, food crime issues, and even incorrect labeling, if there are misleading ingredients, weights, allergens, etc.
And to ensure your own safety, you can check the hygiene level of the store before eating out or shopping, and if you find that the situation is not right, run away and change it.
It has to be said that the public information on the hygiene level of the store is very useful. For consumers, it provides the right and freedom of choice, by looking at the hygiene level of the store, the consumer can understand the hygiene status and risk level of the store, so that they can decide whether to choose to shop or dine in the store, which helps to protect the health and safety of consumers.
In addition, it is important for the store itself to disclose the hygiene rating of the store. It can be used as a warning mechanism to encourage stores to improve hygiene standards and quality control to avoid being affected by low ratings. Secondly, the public information of the hygiene level of the store can also promote market competition and promote the continuous improvement of the hygiene standards of stores in the industry.
In fact, the rating can also be seen directly on some food delivery platforms in the UK, which makes its role even more obvious, because it is conspicuous, so that consumers can see it (in some places, this rating is even mandatory to be displayed at the door of the restaurant).
In the comment area, we also saw two voices, some people think that Chinese restaurants in the UK are all according to domestic standards, and the main focus is not to eat.
Indeed, it seems that this kind of hygiene score is not common in China, at least everyone will not go out of their way to check it. On the contrary, some people think that some "fly restaurants" are more attractive, even if the hygiene of the store is average, but if the food tastes good, it attracts many diners, and may even become an Internet celebrity shop.
But since you have opened in the UK, you must comply with the UK's food hygiene and safety regulations, don't use that set to deal with consumers, at least meet other people's standards, and be responsible for consumers. And Haidilao is not a "fly restaurant", such a large enterprise, and it is also famous for its intimate service, so it really shouldn't get 0 points.
However, there are also those who believe that the UK's inspection standards may not apply to Chinese stores, because the way Chinese food is cooked and processed differently than in the West. In particular, the selection of ingredients and the method of processing such as hot pot may be quite different from Western eating habits. In this case, differences between different cultural backgrounds and dietary habits need to be taken into account, and these factors should be fully taken into account when evaluating food safety and hygiene standards.
In any case, this 0 points can still persuade a wave of people, especially some Haidilao enthusiasts in London, it is estimated that there will be a psychological shadow in a short time, I hope Haidilao will act quickly, after all, 5-star praise is not only given by customers, but also by hygiene.