Introducing an Online Consumer-Based Review Platform for Restaurant Hygiene

The World Health Organization states that everyone should play a role in contributing to food hygiene. In this article, we introduce the first online consumer-based platform for restaurant hygiene reviews, a platform that may provide a transparent channel for consumers to play their role in food hygiene. While public purchase decisions may be significantly affected by online consumer reviews, currently there are no dedicated websites for consumers to add restaurant hygiene reviews (RHRs), which is an expression coined in this article. The new platform helps consumers post food hygiene reviews by answering a series of questions while visiting any restaurant, and it also gives them an option to report food hygiene violations to the authorities. This website may help future research if the data collected is analyzed to understand trends in food hygiene violations noticed by the public; we also plan to have annual awards for the best restaurant in food hygiene based on consumer reviews. The questionnaire provided will also contribute to consumer food hygiene education. This platform is expected to bring food hygiene into the context of daily life and add to pressure on the restaurant industry to follow food hygiene requirements, thereby leading to a positive impact on environmental health.