'We firmly condemn all acts of aggression and harassment in the kitchen or outside it'

The Michelin Guide for UK and Ireland has spoken up for the first time since calls were made for accolades to be taken away from restaurants where staff are mistreated, condemning "all acts of aggression and harassment" but declining to pursue the suggestion further unless a restaurant has been legally charged for its actions.

After it surfaced that The Kitchin Group had made two senior members of staff redundant following allegations of abuse and harrassment, chef's union Unichef demanded that Michelin-starred restaurants be stripped of their awards if such allegations were confirmed for any restaurant, receiving the backing of prominent voices in the industry, including Darjeeling Express' Asma Khan.

Whilst the guide, much coveted by chefs around the world, has always been firm in its affirmation that it only assesses restaurants based on the quality of their food, many have questioned whether it should turn a blind eye to the conditions in which the food is created.

The statement reads: "One of the Michelin Group’s five core values is Respect for People, and we take that very seriously. We firmly condemn all acts of aggression and harassment in the kitchen or outside it, which damage people’s lives, the entire profession and its image.

"The Michelin Star is awarded for the quality and consistency of the food offered to customers. That is where our independent expertise lies. Our core focus and the way we work, based on anonymous visits as a normal diner, do not allow us to form a view of the culture and human resources approach of thousands of individual businesses. As such we must assume innocence until proven otherwise by legal authorities."

Chef Tom Kitchin has confirmed that he was hiring an independent HR consultancy firm to investigate the allegations made against his staff.

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