A FAST FOOD restaurant in Monmouth has announced that they have recently secured a five-star food hygiene rating. 

Aslan's Fish Bar on Priory Street in Monmouth, has maintained their five-star food hygiene rating for the third time in a row, following an inspection on Friday, May 31. 

Posting the good news on their Facebook page on the evening of Friday, May 31, the Aslan's Fish Bar team said: "We’re pleased to announce that following our inspection today we have received our third five star food hygiene rating in a row!

"The team work hard to maintain our high standards for food hygiene and safety and we’re very happy with this result!" 

The Food Hygiene Rating Act 2013 became law in Wales on March 4, 2013, requiring 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.

Aslan's Fish Bar has been classed as 'very good' or 5, the highest possible rating an inspection can give. 

According to the food hygiene standards website, all businesses are inspected over three categories. 

These are hygienic food handling which covers hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage, cleanliness and condition of facilities and building, covering cleanliness and condition of facilities and building (including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene and management of food safety, which covers the 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. 

Each category is graded separately, and then the business is given an overall rating. 

Hygienic food handling was classed as very good, as was the management of food safety, while cleanliness and condition of facilities and building was graded as good. 

This all resulted in their third five-star food hygiene rating in a row, following a previous rating of five in May 2022.