New research has found that more food businesses than ever before are displaying ratings in their windows as part of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS).
The scheme, which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, aims to give customers an insight into standards of food hygiene training and practices in food businesses. Businesses are inspected by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which carried out the latest study, and given a rating. This is then displayed to the public.
A recent FSA audit has found that:
• 52 per cent of food businesses in England are now part of the FHRS, an increase of 9 per cent on last year
• 47 per cent of businesses in Wales are now part of the scheme, a 16 per cent increase on the year before
• 57 per cent of food businesses in Northern Ireland are displaying food hygiene ratings, a rise of 7 per cent compared to 2012.
The FSA found that most businesses were displaying their ratings because they were proud of their score, whilst others were simply following the rules. However, around a third of businesses in each part of the UK said that they had noticed some positive benefit from displaying their food hygiene rating.