WEST Devon food businesses are keen to know the safest and most hygienic way to produce food — and to buy into the national Food Hygiene Rating scheme run locally by West Devon Borough Council.

Over the next four weeks almost 100 firms across the council area will have attended a half-day training seminar at the council's offices in Tavistock.

The seminars guided businesses through the legal requirements for food safety and also to how to achieve and maintain the top rating of five under the national food hygiene rating scheme.

The seminars are run by the food safety team, which routinely carry out inspections and give businesses advice.

The councils have invited restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels, supermarkets and other food outlets to attend the seminars. If businesses join the scheme. they are rated 0 to 5 by Environmental Health Officers on routine inspections — 5 being very good and 0 for major improvements being necessary.

All the hygiene ratings are available on the Food Standards Agency website

Anyone who would like more information can call the Environmental Health Business Support Unit on 01803 861234.