West Suffolk College achieved a clean sweep of five star certificates both for its in-house catering and for the training restaurant, Zest The Restaurant under a new a ‘scores on the doors’ scheme launched by the Food Safety Service at St Edmundsbury Borough Council.

The scheme shows the standard achieved following a thorough environmental health inspection, and gives a rating of up to five stars. Customers of the 1025 food businesses in St Edmundsbury are able to check the quality of food hygiene on the premises by a rating displayed at the door.

Carmel Asbury, Head of School of Hospitality at the College, said: “I am delighted with the recognition this five star award represents. It reflects the very high standards that students and staff maintain and train to in all Hospitality areas at West Suffolk College.

“We are very thorough, with effective systems in place to monitor procedures and control food movements. These are things we are required to do by law, and we do them very well.

“Our Hospitality students are the chefs and managers of the future in this region and it is crucial that they have a clear understanding of Health & Safety standards and systems.  The College also delivers training in Food Hygiene for employees in the sector. We are dedicated to maintaining, improving and raising the profile of the hospitality and tourism industry in Suffolk.”

The new scoring system has been in use since 1 January 2010 and the results for the 170 businesses that have been inspected since then can be checked on the St Edmundsbury Borough Council website

54 businesses have achieved a five star rating, including nurseries, schools, restaurants, nursing homes and plant centres. 48 businesses have achieved four stars, 47 have three stars and 21 have received two stars or fewer.