Report: U.K. hospital kitchens not healthy

LONDON, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- About half of British hospitals have unsafe or unsanitary kitchens, a new survey says.

Of 377 public and private hospitals examined, 173 had lapses in staff personal hygiene, cleanliness and proper food storage, The (London) Observer reported Sunday.

Six hospitals had failed inspections in five or more categories, and eight had poor enough performance to require re-inspection every six months, data collected from local governments by the Liberal Democrat party showed.

"It is simply unacceptable that such terrible practices are taking place in an environment where hygiene and safety should be paramount," said Norman Lamb, the party’s shadow health secretary, who called for a public rating system for hospital kitchens.

In response to the report, the Food Standards Agency said it will sanction local authorities that fail to address significant cleanliness problems in the hospital kitchens they oversee, the newspaper said.

A spokesman for Mayday University Hospital in London, the recipient of one of the poor inspections, said the hospital has completely redone its food service so meals are cooked elsewhere and reheated in wards.