Hygiene traffic light
The hygiene traffic light is supposed to be a transparency system in the Federal Republic of Germany, which makes the test results of official food controls visible. This would enable consumers to find out about the hygienic conditions in restaurants. According to critics, such a hygiene traffic light requires constant and comprehensive monitoring, which the countries cannot provide with the current resources.
Background and status
So far, consumers have had few opportunities to find out about hygiene in restaurants and pubs. On May 19, 2011, the consumer protection ministers of the federal states therefore decided to introduce a control and evaluation system. With the exception of Bavaria , all federal states voted to introduce the system. In order for the hygiene traffic light to be implemented nationwide, the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection must draft a law. Federal Consumer Minister Ilse Aigner ( CSU ) signaled her support shortly after the decision by the state consumer protection ministers. Although the hygiene traffic light has been under discussion since 2010, there is still no draft law (as of 2/2016).
Content and function
The control system relates primarily to industrial hygiene, the handling of food and its quality and the company's own control. The first assessment is based on the files. This means that the controls of the last 12 months are used to classify the risk classes. The results of the last four food controls, which are made visible by means of a color scale, form the basis for further evaluation. An arrow shows the evaluation of the company in the bar chart. Green stands for no or minor defects, yellow for medium and red for serious complaints. The labeling is clearly visible directly at the restaurant or in the event of little customer contact (e.g. pizza delivery services) on the Internet.
The entry into force of the legal basis was planned for 2013, but this failed because of Ilse Aigner . Therefore, on December 5, 2013, only a test version was launched in Bielefeld and Duisburg . After the introduction for restaurants and pubs, the control system should then also be introduced for bakeries and butchers and finally for the food retail trade including large kitchens and weekly markets.
| Risk classes | Control frequency |
|---|---|
| RK 1 | daily to weekly |
| RK 2 | weekly to monthly |
| RK 3 | monthly to quarterly |
| RK 4 | quarterly to half-yearly |
| RK 5 | every six months to annually |
| RK 6 | annually to 1.5 years |
| RK 7 | 1.5 to every two years |
| RK 8 | every two to three years |
| RK 9 | every three to five years |
Similar control systems
A similar system has existed in Denmark since 2001, which serves as a model for the hygiene traffic light. The system works with four different smileys from laughing to sad, which provide information about the hygiene status in the respective company. Research shows that the smiley system is effective. Controls are overall more positive, and hygiene in the companies has improved significantly. The companies do everything possible to receive a positive award.
criticism
Sharp criticism of the planned introduction of the hygiene traffic light comes from the German Hotel and Restaurant Association ( DEHOGA ). The association complains that not enough food inspectors are available and that the inspection is only a snapshot. Under certain circumstances, restaurateurs would have to accept a bad rating for months, even if the deficiencies complained about have long been eliminated.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ BLL
- ↑ Interview with Cornelia Prüfer-Storcks, Senator for Consumer Protection in Hamburg on ( Abendblatt.de )
- ^ Hygiene traffic light for cities in North Rhine-Westphalia ( Memento from December 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), WDR from December 5, 2013
- ↑ Information on http://www.hygieneampel.de/die-hygieneampel/entwicklung/smiley/
- ↑ Information on archived copy ( Memento of the original from August 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
