29-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
The Crown Hotel in Varteg handed top marks by inspectors
The Crown Hotel in Varteg Road, Varteg, was given the highest rating possible after an inspection on May 12.
The food safety officer found the pub's hygienic food handling, cleanliness, and the condition of facilities and building, and the management of food safety to be "very good."
This means the pub had very good hygienic handling of food, including during preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling, and storage.
The cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building, including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities, and pest control were also said to enable good food hygiene.
There was also a good system or checks in place to ensure that the food sold or served was safe to eat, and staff were found to know about food safety.
The food safety officer also had confidence that standards would be maintained in future.
The Food Hygiene Rating Act 2013 became law in Wales on March 4, 2013.
This law requires all businesses selling food in Wales - including pubs, cafes, restaurants, hotels, takeaways, schools, hospitals, canteens, care homes, and corner shops – to display hygiene ratings in a prominent place, and to provide the information verbally if requested over the phone.
Inspections are carried out by the local authority officers, and ratings - from zero, meaning urgent improvement is necessary or they may risk closure; to five, meaning standards are excellent - are updated on the FSA website.
Businesses have the right to appeal against ratings.
Each inspection is carried out under three categories - hygienic food handling, which covers preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling, and storage, cleanliness and condition of facilities and building, covering including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities, and pest control, and the management of food safety.
