THE introduction of a food hygiene scheme, which rates every food outlet in Lancashire, must be welcomed.

The National Food Hygiene Rating system aims to show customers whether hygiene standards are very good or in need of urgent improvement.

In other words, the good, the bad and the very worrying.

Whether it’s a restaurant or takeaway, butchers or bakers, people can look at a website so they are better informed about where to eat out or shop for food.

Every food outlet has been given a star rating – from five down to zero – which will be a useful guide to food safety compliance and hygiene.

However, environmental health inspectors are not making a judgment on the standard of food, as people’s tastes vary.

But the more information people have about where they eat can only be a good thing.

Scoring businesses will also drive up food hygiene standards by shaming some businesses.

That’s doubly important in a week when we have seen the fatal consequences of an outbreak of the e coli bacteria in Germany.