High-end restaurants through to bakeries and the local greasy spoon could be forced to display a food hygiene and safety rating under plans being developed by the state's councils.
Brisbane City Council will be the first to introduce a voluntary system to rate the city's 6000 food businesses, with two plates the worst and five plates the best.
The ratings will be based on how well eateries meet Food Act standards. Those with anything less than a two-plate rating could face closure.
Logan City Council will make its system mandatory. Councillors yesterday voted to lobby Queensland Health and other bodies to change or remove a privacy provision in the Food Act to allow it to force businesses to show a rating in their windows.
The privacy provision bars council inspectors from revealing their findings unless the eatery is prosecuted.
Retail groups fear it will be akin to"naming and shaming" and innocent eateries could be unfairly marked.
Cr Graham Able said it would be a win for consumers but the system had to be compulsory.
"This is just going to give an assurance to people that while they are out at restaurants or hotels or clubs, that we are serious in Logan about hygiene and satisfaction," he said.
Brisbane City Council is relying on pressure from consumers and industry to force eateries to show their rating.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said the Brisbane system, dubbed Eat Safe, was about improving food safety for consumers as well as helping businesses who do the right thing.
"It will be a voluntary scheme, but I anticipate that a significant number of fine establishments will be eager to sign up to prove their worth," he said.
Restaurant and Catering Queensland vice-president David Pugh, who is on the board developing Brisbane's restaurant rating system, said it would be in place before Christmas.
"You've got an overwhelming majority, about 85 per cent of people, who said they would like to see how a place stacks up. It could be anywhere from the local bakery to the local Chinese. It makes everybody open and accountable," he said.
Eateries with poor results would face more inspections and costs than those with good ratings.
If a business receives a poor rating, it will be given time to fix the problems before being given a second grading.
The Retailers Association national executive director Scott Driscoll warned the scheme had the potential to ruin a business for what could be a relatively minor mistake.
"This approach is a little bit akin to naming and shaming if you are not meeting a perceived standard temporarily," Mr Driscoll said.
Local Government Association of Queensland executive director Greg Hallam said most Queensland councils would wait and see how Brisbane's scheme will work.
"As a consumer, I think it is a great idea," he said.
"I think people have a right to know what condition their food premises are in and whether or not their food is safe."
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