MORE than 80 food businesses in Ellesmere Port and Neston are to receive food safety certificates.

Borough firms were invited to sign up to Safer Food Better Business, a food safety management system, between April 2006 and September 2007.

And 81, comprising restaurants, fast food take-aways, pubs, sandwich shops, children’s nurseries and care homes committed to train and implement it.

The scheme was organised by the council’s environmental protection unit and funded by the Food Standards Agency, which aims to drive up standards of food safety.

Borough mayor Ted Lloyd will present certificates to firms that successfully completed the training and evaluation on Monday (March 31) at the Civic Hall.

The council’s head of environmental services Mike Whittaker said: “Safer Food, Better Business is an innovative and practical approach to food safety management.

“It has been developed to help small businesses put in place food safety management procedures.

“We are delighted so many businesses took this opportunity which can only help the maintenance of safe food premises in the borough.”