Celebrity TV Chef

Results from a MORI survey released by Kimberly-Clark today (June 10, 2005) have revealed that British consumers show one of the highest levels of concern for poor restaurant hygiene among the six European countries included in the study.

Over eight in ten of respondents in Britain are concerned about restaurants' hygiene levels, significantly more than those expressing concern in Switzerland (50%) and Germany (42%) and an overwhelming number of us hygiene-conscious Brits (78%) are also genuinely concerned about the risk of contracting food poisoning from restaurants. Kimberly-Clark also reveals that the majority of British consumers wouldn't hesitate to complain if they suspected having contracted food poisoning in a restaurant, dispelling the myth that they don't normally stand up for their rights.

A total of 5,664 people were surveyed by MORI for Kimberly-Clark across Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland in the first two months of this year and the Brits top the scale of concern about restaurants' hygiene levels with Italy and France. They also top the scale of concern about food poisoning (followed by Italy and France) compared with our European neighbours.

Commenting on the findings is celebrity TV-chef Aldo Zilli: "I run four restaurants and one cookery school and take hygiene extremely seriously. It's such a vital part of a restaurant's reputation and fundamental to its overall success because if you get it wrong, people will vote with their feet."

What would we do if we thought we had contracted food poisoning? Well, most of us would have a good moan about it - again more than anywhere else in Europe with the exception of Switzerland! We are most likely to complain to the owner or manager of the restaurant, (62%) , followed by complaining to the council or environmental health department (51%) and complaining to the Food Standards Agency (34%). Interestingly, only a third of respondents (32%) said they would tell their friends and only 14% would ask for a refund. A significant proportion (39%) said they wouldn't bother returning to the restaurant for a second bite!

Anne Heaslip, Marketing Manager for Kimberly-Clark Europe commented "as a company devoted to health and hygiene it is important for us to understand consumer attitudes to restaurant hygiene and we see these results as a serious call to action to the industry. We're not saying that hygiene levels are poor - just that consumers perceive them to be which is just as damaging to the success of the industry".

It seems that it's not just fear of food poisoning that matters, as over two fifths of the respondents (44%) identified dirty and smelly restaurant toilets as the most irritating aspect of their visit. Lack of toilet paper is the second biggest irritant (38%) while no hand soap (29%) follows as third.

Despite our dislike of smelly and dirty toilets, 39% of those surveyed believe that most germs and bacteria are harboured in restaurants' kitchen areas with fewer (34%) stating toilets as the top hot spot for germs. Only 8% think the food itself holds the most germs and bacteria.