The names of food companies which are fined for poor hygiene should be made public so consumers know which firms to avoid, Labour MPs said on Wednesday.

They want health minister Edith Schippers to agree to publication so they can choose which companies to do business with.

Health ministry inspectors usually fine firms for breaking hygiene laws and products are only rarely removed from sale.

In particular, consumers have the right to know about repeat offenders, Labour MP Sjoerda Dikkers told broadcaster Nos. For example, fish processing firm Foppen has been warned about its hygiene standards on multiple occasions.

‘Something like this should be clear to consumers so they can ignore their products for a time,’ Dikkers said.

Schippers is currently working on legislation which would allow inspectors to go public with the fines but Labour MPs say this does not go far enough.

MPs are due to debate the issue later on Wednesday.