Episode 1 Rip Off Britain

There's a lot we don't know about the food on our plates.

And the shops and the labels don't always tell you the whole story.

Sometimes there's just too many offers

and when you actually look at them, you're not really saving that much.

Whether you're staying in or going out,

you've told us that you can feel ripped off by the promises

made for what you eat and, indeed, what you pay for it.

If you buy six, it's cheaper.

But I don't want to buy six, I want to buy one.

From claims that don't stack up, to the secrets behind the packaging,

we'll uncover the truth about Britain's food

so you can be sure you're getting what you expect, at the right price.

Your food, your money, this is Rip-Off Britain.

Hello, and welcome to Rip-Off Britain, where, for this

special series, we're looking into all things to do with food.

And while sometimes it can be a bit tricky keeping across everything

when we are eating at home, I think most of us will agree that

things become a lot more complicated

when we're eating out because, of course, that is when we're

putting our trust and confidence into the hands of other people.

And the truth is that some of the places we go to can leave us

feeling really disappointed.

Either because what they're serving isn't quite what we'd assumed or indeed hoped for,

and we have some surprising examples of that coming up,

or perhaps even because they are struggling with the absolute basics,

in other words, keeping themselves and their surroundings clean.

So we're getting food that's safe as well as very tasty.

Yes, because no-one wants to go out for something nice

and come back with a dose of something nasty.

So, today, we're going to be finding out exactly what's being done to

make sure that the standards of hygiene

where we eat are up to scratch.

Coming up: We've done our own test into restaurant cleanliness,

so in which high street favourite did we find something very nasty indeed?

There's faecal contamination either of the water that made the ice

or the ice itself.

And so it increases the risk of getting sick from consuming this ice.

And burgers served pink may be all the rage,

but are they safe to eat?

If a burger hasn't been prepared and cooked safely,

then the potential risk is that the inside of the burger

could contain organisms such as E coli,

which is potentially extremely dangerous and has been known to cause death.

Whenever you go into a restaurant or a takeaway, you might have seen

a bright green sticker about so long by so deep,

displayed either on the door or the window, making it very clear

what the food hygiene rating is of the place in which you plan to eat.

In other words, it's a very helpful steer on

whether the standards inside really are up to scratch.

Or at least it should be.

But, in fact, though you might have assumed otherwise,

restaurants are not obliged to display their rating.

So any place that scored particularly badly

doesn't have to tell you about it.

Even though, chances are, you certainly would want to know.

So, short of actually poking your head into the kitchen,

how can you tell if a restaurant is as clean as a whistle?

Or no such thing.

'When we buy food from any restaurant, cafe, or takeaway,

'we hope, and assume, that it's been prepared in a safe

'and clean environment.

'And while, in the vast majority of cases that's undoubtedly true,

'it's not always.

'But when one of the possible consequences of eating somewhere

'with poor food hygiene is a bout of food poisoning, the stakes are high.

'And it seems we all have our own ways of working out

'whether or not somewhere is a place we want to go.'

You get a general feeling about a place before you even walk in.

Even from the outside of the building, if it's looking

poorly painted, not looked after, then you've got a bit of a problem.

- Floors, if they're dirty.

- Going to the gents.

If the gents is clean, it's a

good sign that they are really cleaning the restaurant.

'Well, that last one, popping to the loo - the gents,

'or the ladies - isn't a bad rule of thumb.

'But, in fact, there should be an easy way to find out

'whether the standards in your favourite restaurant or

'takeaway are all they're supposed to be -

'the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. It was introduced by the

'Food Standards Agency in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2010.

'Scotland already had a very similar scheme.

'And you'll probably have seen how the

'findings of the inspectors are usually displayed.'

The idea is that any establishment that serves or provides food

to the general public should be inspected

and then given a rating, depending on how clean their premises are.

So, for instance, if you get a five, which is the top rating,

that means that you are very good.

If you get zero, well, that indicates

that your establishment is in need of urgent attention.

But what exactly do these ratings mean,

and how do you get a high rating or lose it completely?

'Well, someone who knows the answer to that is John Thornhill.

'His restaurant in central London has a rating of five,

'so he must be doing something right.'

So, how much notice did you get before the inspectors arrived?

They don't give you any warning. I think that's absolutely right.

In the end, the only way to try and achieve consistency, or at least to

measure consistency, is to go when people don't necessarily expect it.

'Restaurants are inspected by local authority

'Environmental Health Officers, who are checking for a number of things.

'How hygienically the food is handled,

'so the way it's prepared, cooked, reheated, cooled, and stored.

'They'll be looking at the condition and structure of the building,

'its cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, and other facilities.

'They'll measure, too, what each place does to make sure the food is safe,

'to be confident that standards will be maintained in the future.

'And, in a business like John's, which allows you to pick your own

'tapas from the bar, how the food is managed is of critical importance.'

What are the extra problems that you've got?

-Because the food looks stunning...

-Thank you.

-..and it's colourful

and it's wonderful, but it is all out on show.

Exactly. You have different dishes.

This is tuna, good example, can only be out for 30 minutes,

because obviously, being fish, it will go off quite quickly.

Whereas, if we look at something like ham,

that can be out for a longer period of time.

So, we have a system in the back here which controls every dish,

knows when it was sent up, knows how long it can be out for, and alerts

the staff when we need to send it down,

if everything hasn't been sold at that point.

The other side is that the kitchen operation is downstairs, and it's

very much about making sure things don't go wrong that you

aren't aware of, so fridge temperatures changing, or if

there's something wrong with the gas supply, it could

affect the hot holding temperature of food that's kept warm.

How proud are you that you got a five rating?

Very proud and, actually, from our point of view,

given the nature of our food display and everything else,

it's really important, because if I was walking past

the window here, seeing this food on display,

I'd think it looked visually very appetising, but I would

want to know that it was going to be equally good in the consumption.

But, unfortunately, not all restaurants are as

thorough as this one.

Our team has uncovered some pretty shocking statistics concerning

food hygiene at establishments the length and breadth of the country.

'At the time we checked, there are...

'That's nearly 9% of all the premises inspected. Worse still...

'..which means they need urgent improvement.

'And don't assume that the big names always come out with a top score.

'Some of the most familiar names on the high street were given

'a zero rating on the food hygiene scale.

'But finding out a restaurant's score, at least in England

'and Northern Ireland, isn't always that straightforward.

'I took a walk along a busy street in London's Soho,

'with no less than 34 restaurants.'

But only nine of them are displaying their Food Hygiene Rating,

and that's because, by law,

they don't have to put it in a prominent position.

Now, the Food Standards Agency do actually

put all of their findings on their website.

But wouldn't it be just so much easier

if every restaurant had to put their Food Hygiene Rating

in a prominent position, so that you could decide whether that

that was a restaurant you wanted to walk into, or walk past?

It would certainly be so much easier for customers.

'In Wales, all businesses must by law display the sticker that

'shows their hygiene rating in a prominent place,

'typically the front door, entrance, or window.

'So, I'm meeting Catriona Stewart,

'the head of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme at the Food Standards Agency,

'to find out why the rest of the UK doesn't follow suit.'

Why did you feel it necessary to have a ratings system on hygiene?

We want to make sure that food businesses are meeting

the law on food hygiene, and that law's important

because it's there in place to protect people's health.

Food poisoning is a very serious thing.

People think it's usually just a dodgy tummy,

but people can become very ill from food poisoning, and they can die.

And really, what we're trying to do with the scheme is to improve

standards in food businesses.

We put the power in the hands of the consumer by giving them

the information about the standards of food hygiene,

and they can use that to vote with their feet,

and go to the places with the highest standards,

and then encourage those with poorer standards to improve.

So, if something has a zero or even a one rating,

how much risk are the public at if eating on those premises?

If there's an imminent risk, just to reassure people, action will be

taken right away with that business, and probably it will be closed down.

Why should it not be made a legal requirement that they put

that rating in a very prominent position,

so that you can see what it is before you go into a restaurant?

Well, actually, in Wales at the moment, it is

already a requirement of law that businesses must

put their ratings sticker - it's a very distinctive green

and black sticker - they must put that in the window.

But not in England.

In England, the FSA, Food Standards Agency, we do favour that,

and what we're doing at the moment is putting together

the evidence to support the case for that,

because it requires new legislation, and we need to be able to show

that it doesn't have an additional burden on food businesses.

We'll be putting that case to the Government,

so that the Government can consider that and make a decision.

Well, clearly the Food Standards Agency have public health

and safety very high as a priority,

and I'm sure that most members of the public

would like to know what the hygiene rating is for any

establishment where they may be eating.

So, let's hope that it does soon become law that every

food establishment and outlet really has to prominently display

that hygiene rating.

It would give us all a lot more confidence, wouldn't it?

'In the meantime, if you're planning to eat out anywhere in the UK,

'you can check the outlet's rating on the FSA website.

'But, if your choice of eatery is more of a spur-of-the-moment

'decision, back in Soho, John has his own suggestions for the telltale

'signs of whether or not a place meets the mark.

'The first one takes us back to where we started.'

If I could put it down to three things, I would say,

number one, the loos.

I mean, does anybody seriously still think that a cotton towel roll

is more efficient than a hand-drier, from a hygiene point of view?

If they do, they're probably a little

old-fashioned in their thinking.

Another one I think is fresh flowers. If people are caring enough

to still put fresh flowers

in their restaurant, then there's still some love there,

and that means that they're paying attention to detail.

The third one, I would ask your server what their favourite dish is.

If you get a response that talks about the latest seasonal

changes, and how they tried it as a group last week, chances are you're

in a good situation.

If you get the impression they never eat there,

you probably shouldn't either.

'Well, later in the programme, we'll find out

'if some of the big name restaurants that scored zero in their most

'recent inspection have since cleaned up their act.

'We did our own hygiene tests, and you'll be shocked by what we found.'

As you know,

when it comes to ordering a steak in a restaurant, choosing how you

want it cooked - well done, medium or rare - is standard practice.

But its only recently that we started being offered the same

choice with burgers.

The rapid growth of the posh end of the burger market has

coincided with both chefs

and customers demanding more choice in how their meat is cooked.

But that's not as simple as it sounds,

and if you live in Scotland, you might need to take a trip over

the border if your preference is for a burger that's pink in the middle.

'These days, if you fancy a burger, the likes of McDonald's

'and Burger King no longer dominate the market.

'A multitude of premium burger chains have sprung up,

'with the UK burger industry valued at over £3 billion.

'Some customers have become

'so selective about how they like their burger cooked.'

Normally, when I have a burger, I like it quite well done,

but I do like to still have it quite succulent and juicy

and have all the flavours come through, not too dry.

- Probably medium rare.

I think too much blood can put you off, maybe,

or put some people off, and then too well done might be a bit dry.

- I don't like the blood, and I don't like the pink.

I'd definitely get it well done.

- Usually, I like to have it quite rare.

I just think it tastes better, I think it's juicier.

I hate a dry burger.

'But burgers served rare or pink are controversial, and that's

'largely down to the way in which they're made and then cooked.'

So, here we've got a burger and a piece of steak.

Now, people often say, "What's the difference?

"Why can't we cook them both rare?"

And the reason is that, the piece of steak, if we cook it in the pan and

sear it, then that means that we're going to be killing all

the bacteria on the surface, but the inside is relatively clean.

So that means you can actually serve a rare steak,

knowing that you've killed the bacteria on the outside,

and the inside is relatively clean anyway, so that's safe.

But, of course, the burger is actually made up of a minced-up

piece of this meat, which means that all the outside surface has been

mixed up with the inside surface.

So, effectively,

you've got a lump of what I would call unclean meat, so

if you only cook the outside of the burger, the inside may be unsafe.

'Food safety guidelines say that restaurants,

'just like us at home,

'should cook burgers thoroughly to kill any bugs that may be

'present, and that means to temperatures of at least

'70 degrees, for a minimum of two minutes.

'So, when some burger chain started offering their burgers rare,

'food inspectors began to get very nervous.'

If a burger hasn't been prepared and cooked safely,

then the potential risk is that the inside of the burger could

contain organisms such as E coli O157, which is potentially

extremely dangerous,

and has been known to cause death, and other awful

things like haemolytic-uraemic syndrome, and can lead to paralysis.

'Some local councils have been

'so concerned about restaurants serving pink burgers, that

'they've issued official notices to try and effectively stop their sale.

'But the restaurants in question fought back.

'For example, Davy's Wine Bar won its case against

'Westminster Council, having

'proved that its supply of meat was safe, and so were its burgers.

'But, in December 2015,

'Portsmouth restaurant 6 oz Burgers were told that, even though

'there had no allegations of illness, it wasn't allowed to

'serve its burgers pink, a decision that was upheld by the courts.

'The Food Standards Agency has

'since issued further guidance on the matter,

'with advice on the warnings that restaurants should

'put on their menus, and very strict rules on how

'the burger meat is sourced.

'And, although some experts think that this guidance isn't yet enough,

'it's at least an acknowledgement of the growing

'public appetite for this type of burger.

'However, in Scotland, the official position is a little stricter,

'and that's got some food lovers rather hot under the collar.'

I really like burgers, but, in order for it to be good,

it has to be pink.

There's no point in paying over the odds for a burger if

you're going to cremate it, and lose any of the good taste the meat has.

It's got to be nice, juicy, and pink.

'Although Emma McItin from Glasgow has a very clear preference as to

how she likes her burger cooked,

Food Standards Scotland considers rare too risky,

advising instead that the meat is thoroughly cooked,

so it's hard for Emma to find the type of burger that she likes.

And, whilst the Scottish authorities say that they're simply

putting safety first,

if, like Emma, you're a big fan of a pink gourmet burger,

living north of the border, you might feel slightly browned off.'

There's a risk associated with all sorts of food,

like raw shellfish, and even things like steak tartare.

Consumers are educated, and we can make that decision ourselves.

'Now, it's not technically illegal for Scottish restaurants to

serve burgers the way Emma likes them, and we've heard of some that

do offer them "pink with a wink",

that is discreetly at the customer's request.

But if there was ever a food poisoning outbreak,

those restaurants might be in trouble

if they flouted the Scottish Government's guidance.

'So we took Emma on a cross-border burger mission to England,

'and 170 miles from home in Durham,

'she's come to a place that prides itself on its pink burgers.

'Sam has been running this restaurant for four years.

'He's passionate about serving meat pink, and the menu makes it

'very clear that the preference here is for burgers that are

'pinkish, juicy, and dripping.

'Not only is he convinced that his pink burgers taste better,

'he thinks that they are safe as can be.'

Obviously, as a professional in the industry, we deem it

better to eat the burger pink. We have nothing against someone

preferring their meat well done.

It's just all down to personal preference,

and we like to do what the customer wants, ultimately.

-Hi there, I'm Emma.

-I'm Sam.

'So to demonstrate what checks he puts in place to cook the pink

'burgers safely, Sam has invited Emma into the kitchen to help him

'serve his tea-time rush of customers.'

So, what controls do you have in place in order to serve

a pink burger?

I guess the first thing that we do ensure is

the quality of the supplier itself, so we use a local butcher,

we always do our own background checks on them.

What sort of checks do you have in place once the meat is

brought inside?

Throughout the day, we will pick random products,

get the temperatures, and record it, and we'll keep track of

the records as well.

Then if there was anything ever to go wrong with anyone,

or if there was something wrong with the product itself,

we'd be able to trace that from it being on a certain plate,

right the way back to the source of the farm.

'As Sam whips up both types of burger for Emma to taste,

'it's clear that he's preaching to the converted.'

I just can't understand why you would want a burger that is

so overcooked.

People have been eating red meat for a long time,

and we're still here, so a pink burger, to me, is perfectly

safe to eat, so long as it's made in a controlled environment.

So, we have the well done, and we have the rare.

So, if we take the temperatures now,

this one here should read just above 70...

The well done, which should be a much higher temperature...

Yep. That one's clocking exactly 80.

So, if you like, we can do a taste test, so if I cut a piece off...

This here being the rare.

-Really juicy, beautiful.

-And then this is your well done.

Even the texture of the beef itself...

It's really chewy, I'm getting no taste at all from it.

As a pink burger fan, Emma is bound, of course, to say that,

so let's get some more impartial opinions from Sam's customers.

This is the well done. Which is my personal choice.

It's good. They got the flavours in there

from the sauces and stuff, but it's still quite dry meat.

That's exactly how I would order it, that's like perfect.

It's quite dry. Bit hard to chew.

So what about Sam and Emma's favourite, the medium rare burger?

Definitely can feel a lot more flavour in that one,

bit more juice coming out of that.

I don't think you usually get a burger that's that pink,

but I definitely prefer it to the well done.

There's just so much more flavour. Beautiful.

I don't really like it, it's just making us feel a bit queasy.

I've never really, not been a fan. It's making us feel really sick.

Well, consumer choice is one thing,

but food safety officers are concerned that not all

chefs are as scrupulous as Sam, and that the wider trend for rarer

burgers will inevitably lead to more people falling ill.

I'm very concerned at the moment

because there does seem to be a trend and a push for people to have

burgers that are less well cooked, and if the right

controls are not in place, then that is potentially dangerous.

And you can understand why the authorities might take

a harder line in Scotland.

In 1996, 496 people in Lanarkshire developed E coli

that was traced back to contaminated stewed beef.

21 people died.

And in 2014, another E coli outbreak infected 22 people in Glasgow.

The source this time was traced back undercooked beef burgers

from a fast food stall at the city's SSE Hydro stadium.

In fact, in Scotland, proportionately,

there have been three times as many cases of E coli poisoning as in the rest of the UK.

When we contacted Food Standards Scotland on this point,

it reiterated that while it does recommend

that burgers are cooked thoroughly...

..this is not a legal requirement,

and there's no ban on the sale of rare burgers in Scotland.

But it did stress that all restaurants are legally

required to ensure that the food they serve is safe,

so anywhere that chooses to serve rare burgers must ensure it

has alternative control measures in place.

It went on to say that when pink burgers aren't available,

it doesn't mean that the quality of the product is inferior,

simply that the business is...

Meanwhile, the Food Standards Agency representing Wales, Northern Ireland

and England told us it had issued new guidance to provide clarity,

in light of the steadily increasing trend for rare burgers.

It said that, while it doesn't have the same

requirement as Scotland, that the

meat should be thoroughly cooked, it's only acceptable for businesses

to serve burgers pink if there are strict procedures in place.

But as there's a greater chance that these burgers will contain

harmful bacteria, compared with thoroughly cooked ones,

it says the risks should be clearly communicated to vulnerable groups,

for example children under five.

And Doctor Ackerley's advice for anyone more susceptible to

illness, would always be to stick with a well done burger.

People really do not need a dose of food poisoning,

however small it might be.

Some of the other more robust members of society might shake

it off, that isn't to say they will, and you don't know what is

round the corner if you bite into something that is actually unsafe.

For Emma though, her preference for pink is a risk that she's

prepared to take.

I understand the low risk involved.

Consumers should have that freedom of choice,

and I'll still go out and get that pink burger.

Still to come on Rip Off Britain, as we check out

whether some of those zero-rated restaurants have cleaned up their

act, where did we find bacteria that really shouldn't be there?

Because the levels of bacteria are so high,

indicates that the levels of hygiene are not particularly great.

Have you noticed that the words restaurants use to describe

the dishes on their menus have become a whole lot fancier?

What on Earth does it all mean?

And even if we understand those foreign words,

how on Earth do we pronounce them?

Well, Andrew Webb is an award-winning food journalist,

who's spent years studying restaurant menus.

He's as fed up as the rest of us, and he's got his own

views on what some of the most frequently found terms really mean.

First, let's have a look at some of the ridiculous terms chefs

put on their menus to make things sound better,

but you might not know what they mean.

What else can it be fried in?

A piece of chicken, boned out and filled.

Essentially, a posh chicken Kiev.

Spelt J-U-S. It's basically gravy, and not much of it either.

Simple, in everything but the price.

Yes, and at three times the price.

But it seems there's method, and profit, in this particular madness.

The thing is, restaurants don't just use these terms to sound impressive.

Research has shown that long descriptions and foreign words

on menus actually make diners spend more on food.

Well, what would you be tempted to pay more for - steak and chips,

or locally sourced fork tender feather blade steak,

and triple cooked chips?

And what could be better, and classier,

than a soupcon of French on the menu?

So let me translate some of the most popular terms.

It's a good one this. It's basically a French pie.

Essentially, a custard slice.

As you and I would know it, a fritter.

Basically, leek and potato soup, often served cold.

The thing is, everything kind of sounds better in French.

How about jamon de York, oeufs sur le plat et pommes frites?

Or, ham, egg and chips to you and me.

My best advice to you, is

if you do see something on a menu you don't understand, just ask.

The days of the snotty waiter are long gone.

Staff are here to make you feel comfortable and at ease.

And if they do help you out, remember to leave a tip.

Earlier in the programme we looked at the food hygiene ratings

that you should be able to spot on the doors or windows of most

restaurants and takeaways,

and while you might hope that only a handful of places would get

the lowest possible score, which is a zero,

there are more than you would think.

Indeed, the odd branch of some very big names are among them.

Well, as we've heard,

such establishments don't have to post that rating where you can

see it, but they do have to come clean in a more fundamental way.

A zero rating means urgent improvement is necessary, so they're

going to need to sort out whatever shortcomings earned them

such a poor rating in the first place.

Well, we wanted to know just how fast these places do actually

clean up their act. So, we took some swabs,

and we sent the results straight to the lab.

They're places where you would expect hygiene to be top of the

list but, as we heard earlier in the programme, not all places

that serve food meet the standards that they're supposed to.

And when we looked into exactly how many failed

to come up to scratch, the number included

branches of some of the biggest names on the high street.

I think it's disgusting,

because they should have their field staff going round and making

sure these place are clean and fit for people to go and eat in.

Well, I'm really surprised at the amount you've found to be unclean.

I think it's the local authority's responsibility

to search these people out

that's not maintaining their restaurant properly,

or closing them down, or making sure they improve.

And, of course, that is what most local authorities do -

inspecting the hygiene of establishments that serve food,

and giving them a score out of five,

that's then typically displayed on the door.

And while most places do get hygiene right, as we've already heard,

a surprising number don't.

Including 973 who were given a zero rating, meaning they'd been

instructed to make urgent improvements to hygiene standards.

Now you'd think such a damning result would spur those

establishments to immediately put things right.

So, we decided to put that to the test.

Helping us out is medical microbiologist

Dr Margarita Gomez Escalada, from Leeds Beckett University.

She's an expert in the bacteria that lurk in restaurants,

and she knows how crucial it is for premises to tackle them.

The food can be utilised by microorganisms to grow,

and obviously microorganisms can potentially cause disease.

While many of the microorganisms, or bacteria,

that might be found in a restaurant with a low hygiene rating

are relatively harmless, some could have much more serious consequences.

What they can cause varies hugely.

They can go from an upset stomach and diarrhoea,

to things like vomiting and diarrhoea but, in extreme cases,

the likes of salmonella has been reported to cause death.

All the more reason for places with a zero rating to

address their hygiene issues straightaway.

They'll have been served notices to make changes or face penalties,

although in some cases they may not be reinspected for quite some time,

which former environmental health officer

Dr Lisa Ackerley says is bad news, and not just for consumers.

I think it's really important that the public have the confidence

that, when they're walking into a restaurant,

the rating actually reflects what's happening at the time.

If a business has to wait six months,

and I've actually heard of businesses having to wait up

to two or three years for a re-visit, then that's clearly not

really what the scheme's all about, for the public or for the business.

And I think we need to address that,

and get people in there much quicker.

So, we decided to carry out some checks of our own at places that

had, at that time, been given a zero rating for hygiene,

according to the most recent published figures,

to get a snapshot of whether standards had improved.

And we didn't simply pick any old restaurant or cafe.

Instead, we chose branches of some of the best known

names in the country, who you'd imagine might have had

the resources, and commitment, to raise their game.

So, we went to this Costa in Loughborough,

Chicken Cottage in Hampstead in London,

this Caffe Nero in Bath, the Wimpy in Basildon,

and finally, this KFC in Birmingham.

Armed with testing gear, we visited each site,

and took swabs and samples from up to four of the key publicly

accessible parts of the restaurants,

sending the results to be analysed by Dr Gomez Escalada's lab.

And while whatever we found would only reflect the hygiene

standards on that particular day, that is

the case with official inspections too, so the doctor is confident

that it does give an indication of the cleanliness of each operation.

We tested tabletops, trays, self service areas

and the hand plates in the bathroom. And the reason we tested them

is its what someone would be exposed to, but also it gives you

an idea of the level of hygiene, whether they're clean or not.

In each place, we also asked

for some ice or water in a takeaway cup, as testing

the water can indicate how well the equipment behind the scenes

is being cleaned.

The doctor and her team were checking for two types of nasties.

Firstly they looked at the levels of everyday bacteria, which shouldn't

generally cause an issue, but can be harmful if levels are too high.

Secondly, they tested for more serious faecal contamination,

or, as scientists call it, faecal coliforms.

They're a set of particularly aggressive bugs which,

as you've probably guessed, come from faeces.

Such bacteria, which include salmonella and E coli,

are the last thing you'd hope to find in a place serving food.

Indeed, after having the wake-up call of that zero rating,

you'd hope that we wouldn't find anything at all across the five

premises from which we took the samples.

So, once the scientists had finished their tests,

how did they each scrub up?

First, coffee shop giant Costa Coffee.

Now, you'd hope that its 1,500 stores would be clean as a whistle,

but this one, on the market place in Loughborough,

scored zero on a hygiene inspection in September 2015,

meaning it needed urgent improvement, and certainly on

the day we visited, it appears that those improvements have been made.

Our lab found absolutely no faecal contamination,

and only very low levels of everyday bacteria.

So, the low levels of bacteria found indicate good levels of hygiene, and

it's likely that they're cleaning the establishment quite regularly.

A good start. So, next this London branch of Chicken Cottage.

It's a fast expanding food chain, with 100 branches across the UK.

This one, on Finchley Road, once got the top rating of five,

but it got a zero rating in September 2015.

So, again, we tested the eating areas, and the doors to the loo,

to see if we'd get a more reassuring result, and we did.

We sampled the tray, the table and the doorplate.

We found no bacteria at all in the table and the doorplate, and we

found only four bacteria per 100cm squared in the tray, which is

really low and is negligible, which would indicate that the

levels of hygiene at that establishment are acceptable.

Next, we looked at this branch of Caffe Nero on the high

street in Bath, which scored a zero food standard hygiene rating

when last inspected in November 2015.

One thing that struck me when I was actually transferring

the bacteria onto the plate is that the swabs were actually very dirty.

And if I show you an example, this is the self service area.

And this is the swab, and if you can see, the swab is actually dirty.

And the tray, see how it's also dirty.

When these swabs were examined, there was

no sign of any faecal contamination, but the tests did turn up what the

doctor considered significant levels of other bacteria.

So, we found bacteria on the tray...

..so this is 287 bacteria per 100cm squared, so this is this plate.

Then we found 554 bacteria per 100cm squared on the table.

And finally, in the self service area, which is this plate,

now, I counted 500 colonies, but only actually counted

about a quarter of the plate, so that's more than 500 colonies there.

Hard to estimate, actually, there's so many.

Dr Gomez Escalada says you might expect to find higher

levels of bacteria in serving areas, as they see so much more activity.

And while the levels here aren't in any way dangerous,

she's not especially impressed.

Because the level of bacteria are so high,

indicates that the levels of hygiene are not particularly great.

When we put these findings to Caffe Nero, it told us that the

issues that had led to its zero rating were...

..and by bringing forward a planned refurbishment,

they've already been addressed.

They were also keen to point out that, since our visit,

the branch has been reinspected, and awarded a rating of five.

Next, fast food stalwart Wimpy dates back to 1954,

and has 87 branches all over the UK.

This one in Basildon scored zero

on its last inspection in September 2015.

In Wimpy, we sampled a saucer, cos there was no tray provided,

a table, a doorplate, and some water.

We found no bacteria, or very little bacteria, in all of them,

except for the table, however is not high enough to cause any concern.

And since our visit, Wimpy has been in touch to tell us that this

branch has been reinspected,

and the food hygiene rating achieved on this occasion was four.

That leaves just one more place,

this KFC in Birmingham's Martineau Place.

Only the best will do, declares the company's website,

and, when it comes to cleanliness, the chain says it does its own

unannounced inspections, with tough standards.

From our test results, the tabletop, doorplate

and self service areas all came back clear.

But, when it came to the cup of ice staff gave us,

it was a different story.

Remember those faecal coliforms,

the more serious germs showing traces of faeces?

They've no place in a restaurant's food or water,

but they turned up here.

We found high levels of bacteria in the ice sample we got.

The levels were quite high,

we found about 20 faecal coliforms per millilitre of ice.

The presence of faecal coliforms suggests that there's faecal

contamination, either of the water that made the ice,

or the ice itself.

And so it increases the risk of getting sick from consuming this ice.

Following the inspection that led to its zero rating,

this branch was briefly closed down for a deep clean.

But when we spoke to KFC,

it told us that, after applying to be re-rated,

a recent further inspection...

had seen the restaurant given...

KFC told us that 95% of its restaurants score four or above,

but having just one with a zero rating was...

..so it worked with a specialist third party consultant to get

the standards back up.

As for our findings, it said whilst pleased that the public areas

we tested were found to be clean, it was...

..as well as undertaking...

KFC went on to say that it takes...

..and it's right behind the food hygiene rating scheme,

which, it says, the public can trust, and it supports it.

We also contacted the Food Standards Agency,

which administers the scheme, to explain the timeframe in which

low scoring establishments are revisited.

It reiterated that businesses given ratings of zero or one

must make urgent or major improvements,

and the food safety officer will tell the business how quickly

these improvements must be made. Follow up checks will

usually take place and, should it be considered that there's an

imminent risk to health, part or all of the business may be closed down.

Once business can prove the necessary improvements have

been made, they can request a revisit to reassess their rating,

as some of the places that we went to have done.

The FSA told us those revisits will usually take place within

three months of receipt of the request,

and that all local authorities in England have signed up to

operating the scheme in this way.

It said if reinspections aren't carried out in that timeframe,

businesses should flag that up,

and the FSA confirmed that it's considering changes to the scheme in England

that would require businesses to display their ratings,

as is already the case in Wales.

But if you're eating out and aren't sure if a place is up to scratch,

Dr Lisa Ackerley says to simply use your eyes and nose.

If it doesn't look good, then really,

do they actually care about their customers?

What's it like behind the scenes?

Go in the toilets, see what it looks like in there.

If they can't get that right,

I'm sure they won't have got the kitchen right.

If you've got a story you'd like us to investigate,

then get in touch with us via our Facebook page,

BBC Rip Off Britain, our website, bbc.co.uk/ripoffbritain, or e-mail.

Or if you want to send us a letter, then our address is...

Well, that's almost it from us for today,

but, I don't know about you guys,

but I have to say I was absolutely shocked to see

just quite how many restaurants

-and cafes scored that zero rating for cleanliness and hygiene.

-Scary.

It is, isn't it? And, you know,

while of course you can probably see why they're not going to want

to be shouting that result from the rooftops, it's certainly

information that I would want to know before venturing inside.

Now, the food safety standard should be a given,

and I agree with you, Angela, that it does seem ridiculous that

such vital information doesn't have to be more clearly displayed.

But whether it's the quality of the establishment,

or the quality of what you're actually eating, let us know

if things don't pass the muster the next time you eat out.

Yes, tell us all the gory details,

and remember, our team is interested in hearing your experiences

on all sorts of topics, not just food,

for our various programmes coming up throughout the year.

And it could be your story we'll be looking at on the future programmes.

But, in the meantime, thanks for joining us today

and, wherever you're having your next meal,

we hope it's a good one, a safe one, and a clean one.

-True.

-So, from all of us, goodbye.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.