Top restaurants fail on hygiene, say inspectors
Inspections of the region’s top restaurants show breaches of hygiene regulations, but those inspected say many of the reports are out of date
Minor criticisms
De Standaard obtained access to the reports and released the results for restaurants in Brussels and Flanders with two or three Michelin stars or 17+ points from Gault & Millau. At one in four restaurants, inspectors had serious criticisms relating to hygiene, necessitating a second inspection six months later. However, among the top-rated restaurants, most criticisms were minor and did not require a return visit.
“As far as food safety and hygiene are concerned, Belgium sets the bar very high, and that’s a good thing,” said Horeca Vlaanderen director Danny Van Assche. “However, because the rules are so strict, restaurants are rarely able to achieve a score of 100%. But that does not mean they have failed.”
Some of the reports are simply outdated, claims Van Assche: The one for Hertog Jan, one of the country’s three three-star establishments, dates from 2009. “That was before we moved house last year to a new location,” chef-owner Gert De Mangeleer said. “We haven’t yet been inspected at the new location.”
Chef Kobe Desramaults said that his restaurant In De Wulf had “taken steps to remedy the problems. So it’s not reasonable that an inspection from 2012 should continue to follow us around.”
The inspections found breaches including staff using the same sink for washing vegetables and dishes; cleaning products stored under work surfaces instead of in a closed cupboard; lack of medical certificates for some members of staff and a shortage of wash basins in toilets.
A food safety inspection, Van Assche said, is comparable to a vehicle inspection. “If you take your car in for inspection, you may receive remarks on details that have to be seen to but still allow you to drive. The system works well, but the results have to be interpreted correctly. If there’s any risk to public health, the food safety agency would close the restaurant down on the spot.”
In 2013, he pointed out, the agency carried out 14,464 inspections, 33 of which led to a restaurant being closed.
Photo: Ingimage
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