Every bar, restaurant and takeaway in Glasgow will soon have a certificate showing if they have passed or failed tough food hygiene rules.

Environmental Health Officers regularly visit each of the 5,500 food businesses in the city to check how they are being run.

By October this year, each one will have been issued with a certificate saying the premises has either passed inspection or needs improvement.

Owners will be asked to display the notices prominently so the public can see them.

Diners will also be able to check a city council website to find out the status of the establishment they are planning to visit.

The Scotland-wide scheme is aimed at giving the public as much information as possible about places which handle food and about raising standards.

Alastair Brown, the council’s head of environmental health, said: “The scheme has been proposed by the Food Standards Agency.

“We go into different premises on a regular basis and do inspections and thought we should make the public aware of our findings.

“It’s about giving the public more information and also about driving up standards, because most businesses in Glasgow don’t want the bad publicity which goes with a negative certificate.”

Around 2,000 premises in Glasgow will get a certificate based on what inspectors find during visits between now and October.

Certificates sent to the remainder of businesses will be based on past inspections until new visits can be arranged.

Mr Brown said: This is a significant task as approximately 3,500 premises will require retrospective assessment prior to the scheme’s launch.

“All city businesses involved will be notified of the scheme by letter during the summer and it is proposed each food business operator will be advised of their business’s rating at this time.

“It is anticipated a significant number of enquiries will be received during the ensuing period.”

Businesses not involved in the new scheme will be mainly food wholesalers.

Councillor James McNally, executive member for land and environmental services, said: “It is understandable people want to know how hygienic their favourite restaurant or local takeaway is.

“By participating in this scheme, the council will be able to offer consumers easy access to the information they need to make informed choices and enjoy eating out in Glasgow with confidence.

“The fact premises will be given a very visible rating should also mean our best performing businesses will have an advantage over their competitors; driving up standards across the industry.”

Team who keep you safe

A total of 18 dedicated food safety officers are employed by Glasgow City Council to help ensure the public are kept safe.

Each visit to an outlet selling food lasts between two and three hours as very detailed checks are carried out.

Food businesses in the city vary in size and nature – from street trading vehicles to restaurants and takeaways, shops to supermarkets, wholesalers and manufacturers.

In total there are around 6000 businesses in Glasgow providing food for the general public.

The land and environmental services food safety unit is responsible for the routine inspection of food premises in the Glasgow area and for the ongoing enforcement of relevant food law.

On top of that, staff also have to respond to between 1500 to 2000 complaints from the public about food quality.

The food safety section also carries out food surveillance sampling, offers free advice on all food safety matters to the public and the food industry, and provides reports to the Licensing Board in relation to licensed premises.