Over half the establishments in South Holland inspected by the council’s food safety officers have scored top marks.
Some 338 of the 625 premises (54 per cent) received a five (very good) rating from South Holland District Council, latest figures show.
Four (good) ratings have been issued to 176 premises (28 per cent) and three (generally satisfactory) to 92 of them (15 per cent).
Only 12 businesses (two per cent) scored two (improvement necessary) and seven (one per cent) were given one (major improvement necessary). There were no zero (urgent improvement necessary) ratings issued.
And, encouragingly, all four of the inspection results published so far in 2016 were five ratings. They are: Booths Fruit and Vegetables, New Road, Spalding; Cowbit Village Store, Barrier Bank; Lincs Party Hire, Barrington Gate, Holbeach; SJA Produce (private address).
Ten awaiting their first inspection because they are new businesses or have new owners are: Lincolnshire Poacher, Double Street, Spalding; Proposed restaurant/bar, Station Street, Spalding; Quadring Post Office, Main Road; Taste of Raj, High Road, Whaplode; Tauras, Station Street, Spalding; The Jolly Crispin, Marriots Gate, Lutton; The Picnic Hamper, West End, Holbeach; The Rose and Crown, Low Road, Holbeach Hurn and The Ship Inn, Northgate, Pinchbeck.
The seven businesses needing urgent improvement are: Global Foods, Winsover Road, Spalding (inspected October 2015); Krautuvele, Pinchbeck Road, Spalding (October 2015); Rajapur Indian Cuisine, Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge (December 2015); American Burger, New Road, Spalding (September 2015); Tulip Tandoori, Pinchbeck Road, Spalding (July 2015); Valgyklele, New Road, Spalding (March 2015) and Delicious Coffee Shop, Market Place, Long Sutton (June 2015).
Delicious has recently been re-inspected and owners are confident of a four rating.
The purpose of inspections is to ensure all food businesses maintain satisfactory hygiene and cleanliness standards.
The officer looks at: how hygienically the food is handled; how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored; the condition of the buildings and how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe.
For all ratings visit www.sholland.gov.uk/environment/food/ratings/