Eat Safe

Eat Safe was launched in Scotland during January 2005. In basic terms, the Eat Safe Award Scheme consists of a single tier of award granted by Local Authorities to food businesses meeting standards of food hygiene which are in excess of those required by current food hygiene legislation.

Local Authority Officers views of the Eat Safe award from the 2013 evaluation can be found below:

• An opportunity to recognise businesses doing well
• It is good to work with businesses that take compliance seriously and to be able to recognise them doing well
• Eat Safe is a benchmark and a driver for commercial success. It is a badge and a level of pride for food businesses
• Give businesses a chance to perform at a higher level and it feels good to recognise these businesses
• Confidence in standards
• Highlights the exemplars – good degree of confidence
• Eat Safe is achievable for any food business
• Good to reward those that go the extra mile
• Recognising excellence, good to give positive recognition
• Way of saying well done
• An incentive for business and a measure of encouragement
• Recognising excellence, good to give positive recognition
• Encourages improvement and maintenance of high standards
• Opportunity to recognise businesses doing that little extra
• A way of awarding businesses that are maintaining and improving
• Good way to improve standards
• Businesses are very proud of Eat Safe.

The Food Standards Agency in Scotland manages the Scheme and Local Authorities administer the Scheme. In Scotland, the Food Hygiene Information Scheme Implementation Group advises on the ongoing development of the Eat Safe Award Scheme.