Govt starts hotel hygiene certification

Thiruvananthapuram: Health minister Veena George said the hygiene star certification of hotels as part of the Right for Good Food campaign has started in the state. So far, 519 hotels in the state have been given this certification.
The food safety department had taken 673 hotels into consideration for this certification, and among them, 519 hotels have been given the hygiene star certification.
Among this, five are in Thiruvananthapuram district, 36 in Kollam, 19 in Pathanmathitta, 31 in Allappuzha, 44 in Kottayam, 20 in Idukki, 57 in Ernakulam, 59 in Thrissur, 60 in Palakkad, 66 in Malappuram, 39 in Kozhikode,12 in Wayand, 46 in Kannur and 25 hotels are in Kasaragod.
The entire list of these hotels has been published on the website of the food safety department.
The department has set 40 food safety guidelines for getting this certification. It has also been decided to provide five, four and three-star ratings to the hotels based on the steps taken to ensure hygiene and quality food.
A special squad constituted by the food safety department is conducting the audit of the hotels that have applied for the hygiene star certification.
The star ratings will be provided for two years. The certificates given by the food safety department should be displayed at the hotels, said the minister.
The health minister said that these star ratings will help the people and tourists to choose the best eateries in each district. It was decided to grade the hotels as part of the measures against the outlets selling unsafe foods.
The ratings obtained will also help the hotels and eateries in boosting their sales by offering high-quality food in the most hygienic environment.
The minister said a mobile app, which is being developed, will also list all the hotels and eateries which have received the hygiene star ratings. Pictures of the hotel, its dining area and kitchen will also be displayed in the app.
This rating should lead to competition among hotels for getting better ratings in the subsequent rating mechanism every two years. This will only help their business and provide a healthy food culture in the state, the health minister added.