SIX out of ten Bradford food businesses now have the top five star rating it was revealed today as the fifth anniversary of the 'scores on the doors' Food Hygiene Rating Scheme was marked.

To celebrate the landmark anniversary, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has released information that breaks down its ratings system.

As of yesterday in Bradford, 2,083 establishments out of 3,396 which have been rated by Bradford Council received five out of five.

The number equates to 61.3 per cent of food businesses in the district.

Seven businesses - 0.2 per cent - have a zero rating, while 186, or 5.5 per cent, were rated one out of five.

Speaking about the statistics, Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council's executive member for health, said: "That is progress. What I like about this system is the clarity of it. It was a bit of a shock to some people to start with.

"A signature issue for Bradford is our food offer, and it is vital we offer safe, healthy and nutritious offerings.

"I am happy, but we should always aim for higher. The lower figures are the ones to look at because food poisoning is not nice."

He added: "We have got a close working relationship with most of the trade, and there are colleges that do catering courses."

A total of 630 firms - 18.5 per cent - have a four star rating, 352 (10.4 per cent) have three stars, and 138 (4.1 per cent) have two stars.

The Food Standards Agency figures showed that 83.7 per cent of outlets owned by the biggest high street food chains were given the best food hygiene rating of five.

The FSA found that of the largest 20 food companies, JD Wetherspoon, which has a number of pubs in Bradford district, had the highest proportion of five stars (93.1 per cent).

Catriona Stewart, who heads up the FSA's Food Hygiene Rating Scheme said: "Our latest data shows how seriously high street chains take food hygiene.

"We want to build on the success of the scheme over its first five years and reduce consumer risk even further by encouraging people to 'look before they book'.

"Telling people about hygiene standards in food outlets, in a way that is clear and easy to understand, has made a real difference. We've seen standards improve and more and more businesses are able to show their customers that they take food hygiene seriously.

"It's really easy to check the hygiene rating of a food business - just go to the Food Standards Agency website at food.gov.uk/ratings. You can also look for the green and black sticker on display and, if you can't see one, just ask the staff."

The ratings are determined by Council food safety officers and rate from zero to five.