Official statistics published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) show that the food hygiene rating scheme (FHRS) is being used more than ever before to assess food hygiene standards.
The public attitudes tracker survey monitors changes in consumer attitudes to food-related issues. We survey consumers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The latest results, from May 2019, show the public’s use of hygiene stickers has jumped to 66% compared to 60% in the previous wave from November 2018.
85% of respondents reported being aware of the hygiene standards in places they eat out at or buy food from. The most commonly reported ways of knowing about hygiene standards were via food hygiene ratings stickers (66%) and the general appearance of the premises (59%).
Angela Towers, Head of the Food Hygiene Ratings Team at the FSA said:
‘The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme gives consumers the information they need to make informed decisions about where they eat out and enables them to vote with their feet.
‘We are pleased to see continuing increased use of the scheme, which further highlights a need to make the information it provides more accessible in England through mandatory display of hygiene ratings.
‘This has been successful in Wales and Northern Ireland and we remain committed to seeing this introduced in England.’
