Result: Investigation of Award Systems for food businesses: pdf (445 kB)
published at Reconciliation meeting in Szczecin, Poland 09 - 11 May 2012

Summary Award systems in Europe
15 countries in Euroupe have been investigated
Award systems in different countries
•    Denmark, Belgium, Lithuania & Ireland have established systems
         o Ireland publicate a ”negativ list” from inspections available for a limited time (1-3 months)
         o Denmark is the country, of those we investigated, which has the longest experience in publishing of inspections.
            They started in 2001.
            The results in Denmark show a success in terms of maintaining high food hygiene.
            An ”Elite Smiley" is now in place for those companies that achieve the best results at 4 inspections in a row.

•    Sweden has several different local systems.
•    Kaliningrad has a voluntary system, a competition.
•    Finland has had a “Smiley”- project, this is now evaluated.
•    Germany has developed a system, but one of the states has blocked the use of it. However, there is a “voluntary” system,
      used by two states.
•    Netherlands has a system, but various associations (representing food businesses) are currently trying to stop publications.
•    Switzerland, is planing for a system to publicate results from inspections. Consumers will have access to a short version
     of monitoring results and this is alredy the case in the canton of Zug.

•    5 countries have no system for publication of inspection results (Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg & Austria)

Experience from the awardsystem
•    A system that shows hygiene standard are benefiting both consumers and businesses.
•    Publishing results has gained high acceptance amongst consumers and entrepreneurs.
•    Several of the countries we studied have a positive experience by publishing results from inspection.