Ordering meat in a restaurant

When you order meat in a restaurant, the menu and the staff can tell you a good deal about the dish. Some of that information the restaurant has to give you. Some it gives by choice.

Allergens in the dish

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says a restaurant or café must provide you with allergen information when you eat out or order a takeaway. It may be printed on the menu. It may be a note telling you to ask a member of staff.

The FSA points out that a restaurant does not have to offer you a different meal.

The FSA suggests checking the menu online, or calling ahead to ask about the restaurant's allergy policy. When you order, say clearly what you react to and give examples of the foods. You can ask how the food is handled in the kitchen, and whether a recipe or an ingredient has changed at the last minute.

With meat, an allergen can also be in what goes with it. The FSA suggests reminding staff about glazes, garnishes, sauces and cooking oils. If you doubt that the staff understand your needs, its advice is not to eat there.

Where the meat came from

Asking the staff where the meat came from is a fair question.

Food law says what a restaurant tells you about its food must not mislead you, particularly about where the meat comes from or how it was produced. The same rule covers its adverts and the way a dish is presented.

Protected names

Some meat names are protected in Great Britain. Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb, Welsh Beef, Welsh Lamb, West Country Beef and West Country Lamb are on the UK register as protected geographical indications (PGI). Orkney Beef and Orkney Lamb are registered as protected designations of origin (PDO).

Defra says anyone using a registered name must follow the product's published specification and be verified to make and sell it.

Burgers served pink

For restaurants that serve beef burgers less than thoroughly cooked, the FSA's guidance asks for a message at the point of sale, so that diners can make an informed choice. The FSA's suggested wording recommends that children, pregnant women and anyone with a weaker immune system have their burgers well done.

Steak is not the same. The FSA says a whole cut of beef or lamb can be served pink in the middle, as long as the outside has been sealed.

The hygiene rating on the door

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme gives a business a rating from 5, very good, down to 0, urgent improvement required. A council food safety officer sets it after an inspection.

The rating is a snapshot of hygiene at that inspection. It says nothing about the quality of the food, the service or the skill of the cooking.

Businesses in Wales must display their rating in a prominent place. In England, display is voluntary. You can look a rating up on the FSA's website, or ask a member of staff what rating the last inspection gave.

If you are worried about a business's food safety, the FSA says you can report it to the council's food safety team.

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