DEFA rapped over refusal to provide food hygiene rating info

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture will have to look again at a Freedom of Information request asking for food hygiene reports.

The Island's Information Commissioner says DEFA refused to provide information about outlets with low hygiene ratings without properly assessing the request.

Its decision to apply a blanket exemption has now been criticised, and the department told it should re-process the request.

And the ICO says it should consider publishing the information under a new scheme, because of the public interest in the topic.