The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently published the results of a survey that assessed the value of the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) and perspectives on potential changes to regulatory approach.

The survey sought to capture consumer views on potential changes to the regulatory approach through online discussion groups. Participants expressed varied levels of awareness of the FHRS, with those having more knowledge about the scheme reporting checking food safety and hygiene ratings before deciding where to buy food. Those with less awareness of the FHRS associated the scheme with the ratings stickers displayed by food businesses but did not tend to use the ratings when making decisions. They had limited understanding of how the ratings were decided, or what the ratings meant beyond the best and worst scores.