Chinese takeaway claims zero-star food rating was ‘purely because of a leaky pipe’

The owner of a Chinese takeaway has revealed the “truth” after it was given a zero-star food hygiene rating.An inspection from the Food Standards Agency back in February said that Jade Garden, on Wootton Road in Lynn, needed improvements to hygienic food handling, food safety, cleanliness, and the condition of its facilities and building.It received a zero out of five rating.

However, the takeaway has come out and said the rating has “nothing to do” with the standards and quality of the food served there, and claimed it was “purely because of a leaky pipe”.Jade Garden took to Facebook and shared a premises intervention form, which noted the takeaway needs to ensure paper towels are at the rear prep area wash basin and that access to that basin is clear at all times.It also talked about fixing the leak in the pipe and replacing the wall tiles in that area. The business thanked those who continued to order from them and said: “I have reached out to them to discuss getting my five stars back, as all of the above has been amended to make sure everything is amazing for my customers.”The Food Standards Agency report said the takeaway requires major improvement in the “cleanliness and condition of facilities and building (including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene”. It also found major improvement is required in having “system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future”.Meanwhile, improvement is necessary in “hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage”.The Food Standards Agency and Jade Garden were both approached for comment, but provided no response.