The Food Standards Agency has completed research to establish how mandatory display of ratings has changed attitudes across the UK.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has commissioned independent research to assess the proportion of food business that are displaying their hygiene ratings in a comparison with previous years research. The research utilised mystery shoppers as auditors and telephone surveys with food businesses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The aims of the audit were to find out how many establishments displayed their rating, and where they were displayed.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) was launched in 2010 and is run in partnership between the FSA and local authorities.  Local authorities assess the standards of hygiene in routine inspections. English establishments are encouraged to display their ratings in a prominent place, however they are not legally required to do so. Wales made the display mandatory in 2013 and Northern Ireland in 2016. This has left England in the shadows as they, “continue to lag behind Wales and Northern Ireland in terms of display rates”, say the FSA.

The results showed 49% in England, 84% in Wales, 82% in Northern Ireland, were visibly displaying their stickers to those outside premises

In England, the businesses with higher ratings were much more likely to display the stickers, with some stating it has had a positive impact on their business. 53% said their main motivation was customer assurance. Most businesses were positive about the mandatory scheme in Wales and Northern Ireland and those with a score of 4 or below took action to improve their ratings. 77% of businesses in England felt a mandatory scheme would be a “good thing”.