We asked the NI public their views on food hygiene ratings

Earlier this week we reported how 33 establishments in Belfast had a food hygiene rating of just 1 and our comments were full of people sharing their opinion on the rating system.

Some people said that they had been put off frequenting locations with low ratings while others believed that the low scores could be down to paperwork and bureaucracy.

With that in mind, we hit the streets of Belfast city centre to ask the public what they thought of the food hygiene rating system and if they would eat somewhere with a rating of 1.

Read more: Belfast food hygiene ratings: The 33 premises with a rating of 1

Read more: Police treating attack on toddlers in Belfast park as 'transphobic'

One person told us that they felt the scheme was important and that in their opinion, a higher score would lead to a better experience.

"If the place is messy, you don't know if the food is going to be any better," she said.

Another member of the public said that the onus was on businesses to make sure that their premises were clean and their paperwork was in order.

"If I see a one star hygiene rating, I am not going to go there at all," he said. "My biggest ick is dirty stuff and when you see stuff sitting for ages and not being picked up or if you see flies and things flying around beyond the normal amount that you expect then you start to get put off.

"If you are running a business, then you should be able to follow along with these things. From what I have seen, it is not much paperwork."

One hospitality worker recalled his experience of working in establishments with a five star rating and also businesses which had a lower rating.

"If you go to somewhere that has a five you think it will be grand but if you see a one, you hesitate and think I don't know if I could, I just feel like I might end up with food poisoning.

"I have worked in a few places that have had a higher food hygiene rating and I have seen the food and how the kitchens operate and I have also worked in a place that now has a one star hygiene rating and it is definitely deserved."

When it comes to opting to eat at somewhere which only had a one star hygiene rating, it appears that being drunk or hungry may be a deciding factor for some.

One guy told us, "I feel like you wouldn't notice and if I was drunk enough I could probably be coerced into it."

Another added: "It depends on how hungry I am feeling at that moment. If I am very hungry I won't mind."

However, others said that if they went somewhere that only had a one, they would leave and eat elsewhere.

"It would definitely put me off and I think I would just leave and go somewhere else," she said. "There was one time we went to a Chinese buffet and the glasses weren't cleaned properly. The food was delicious but stuff like that I am weird about."

Video by Harry Bateman.

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