Appendix C: Telephone survey questionnaire

Screener

s1 Good morning / afternoon, my name is NAME, calling from IFF Research, an independent market research company, on behalf of Food Standards Agency (FSA). Please can I speak to the owner or manager or the most senior person responsible for food safety at this site? 

IF NECESSARY: We are conducting a survey about the regulation of businesses, like yours, that handle and sell food. It will take around 10 minutes to complete and the results will help future decision making in this area.  

IF WANT TO TRANSFER TO HEAD OFFICE OR ANOTHER BRANCH / SITE: We need to speak to someone based at this site, not at head office or another branch of your organisation. We are interested in activities at this location. Could I speak to the person at this site who would have the best overview of food safety issues?

Respondent answers phone	1	CONTINUE
Transferred to respondent	2	CONTINUE
Hard appointment	3	MAKE APPOINTMENT
Soft Appointment	4	MAKE APPOINTMENT
Engaged	5	CALL BACK
Refusal	6	THANK AND CLOSE
Nobody at site able to answer questions	9	THANK AND CLOSE
Not available in deadline	10	THANK AND CLOSE
Fax Line	11	THANK AND CLOSE
No reply / Answer phone	12	THANK AND CLOSE
Residential Number	13	THANK AND CLOSE
Dead line	14	THANK AND CLOSE
Company closed	15	THANK AND CLOSE
Site does not sell or serve food	16	THANK AND CLOSE
Not sampled business	17	THANK AND CLOSE
Request reassurances	18	GO TO R. PAGE
Request reassurance email	19	SEND EMAIL

ASK IF TRANSFERRED/SPEAKING TO BEST CONTACT (S1=1/2) 

S2    [S1=2: Good morning / afternoon, my name is NAME, calling from IFF Research, an independent market research company, on behalf of Food Standards Agency (FSA). Can I just check, are you the most senior person responsible for food safety at this site?] 

We are conducting a survey about the regulation of businesses, like yours, that handle and sell food. The survey will take around 10 minutes to complete and the results will help future decision making in this area.  

We now be a convenient time to take part in this survey? 

IF WANT TO TRANSFER TO HEAD OFFICE OR ANOTHER BRANCH / SITE: We need to speak to someone based at this site, not at head office or another branch of your organisation. We are interested in activities at this location. Could I speak to the person at this site who would have the best overview of food safety issues? 

Continue	1	CONTINUE
Referred to someone else at the establishment. Name Telephone number:	2	TRANSFER AND RE-INTRODUCE
Hard appointment	3	MAKE APPOINTMENT
Soft appointment	4	MAKE APPOINTMENT
Refusal	4	THANK AND CLOSE
Not available in deadline	6	THANK AND CLOSE
Site does not sell or serve food	7	THANK AND CLOSE
Request reassurance	8	GO TO R. PAGE
Request reassurance email	9	SEND EMAIL

ASK IF WILLING (S2=1) 

S3    I need to read out a quick statement regarding GDPR legislation. 

I want to reassure you that all information collected will be treated in the strictest confidence. You have the right to a copy of your data, to change your data or to withdraw from the research at any point. In order to guarantee this, and as part of our quality control procedures, all interviews are recorded. Is that OK? 

Yes - agree to continue	1	CONTINUE
Refuse to continue	2	THANK AND CLOSE

ASK IF GDPR CONSENT (S3=1) 

S4      Before we go any further, can I just check, does your business prepare, sell or serve any food and/or drink products to the public?    

ADD IF NECESSARY: This does not have to be the primary purpose of the business. 

Yes	1	CONTINUE
No	2	THANK AND CLOSE

 
ASK IF ELIGIBLE (S4=1) 

S5    Please can I take your job title? 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE 

Head chef / cook	1	CONTINUE
Manager (including catering manager)	2	CONTINUE
Owner / Proprietor / Managing Director	3	CONTINUE
Other person with overall responsibility for food handling and hygiene issues at site (write in)	4	CONTINUE

Reassurances to use if necessary

• The interview will take around 10 minutes to complete.  
• This interview is for research purposes and not an inspection or enforcement call. Please note that all data will be reported in aggregate form and your answers will not be reported to our client in any way that would allow you to be identified.  
• Your premises has been randomly chosen from a list of food businesses.  
• If you would like further information on how IFF handles and processes personal data, as well as information on your rights under data protection regulations to access your personal data, withdraw consent, or object to the processing of your personal data you can visit: www.iffresearch.com/GDPR 
• If respondent wishes to confirm validity of survey or get more information about aims and objectives, they can call: 
• MRS: Market Research Society on 0800 975 9596 
• IFF: [REDACTED] 
• FSA: [REDACTED] 

A Business type

I’m going to start by asking you a few questions about your business. For these questions, and throughout the survey, I’d like you to think specifically about this site.  

ASK ALL 

A1 Approximately how many people does this business employ at this site? 
IF NECESSARY: Please include part-time and full-time staff.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t know exactly, an estimate is fine.

INTERVIEWER TYPE IN	1
Don't know	2

ASK IF DON’T KNOW (A1=2) 

A2 Which of the following bands would cover how many people employed at this site? 

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

1	1
2-9	2
10-24	3
25-49	4
50-99	5
100-199	6
200-249	7
250+	9
Don't know	9

ASK ALL 

A3 Is your business part of a chain? This is a group establishments at different locations that share a name, brand and concept and are controlled by the same organisation.     

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

ASK ALL 

A4      Can customers order food from your business in any of the following ways… 
 
READ OUT.  

Order method	Yes	No	Don't know
_1 Through a third-party website/app (e.g.,such as. JustEat, UberEATS or Deliveroo)	1	2	3
_2 Through an ordering function on your own website	1	2	3
_3 Through your social media accounts (such as  Instagram, Twitter or Facebook)	1	2	3

ASK IF USE AGGREGATOR (ASK IF A4_1=1) 

A5    What delivery service websites/apps can customers use to order food from your business?  

DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE. 

Deliveroo	1
Just Eat	2
UberEATS	3
Amazon	4
Etsy	5
Not On The Highstreet	6
eBay	7
AliExpress	8
Foodhub	11
Local 'eats' service	12
Snappy Shopper	13
Order YOYO	14
Other (write in)	9
Don't know	10

ASK IF USE SOCIAL MEDIA (ASK IF A4_3=1) 

A6    What social media platforms can customers use to order food from your business?  

DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE. 

Facebook	1
Facebook Marketplace	2
Instagram	3
WhatsApp	7
Twitter	8
TikTok	4
Other (write in)	5
Don't know	6

B FHRS

ASK ALL 

B1 Changing the topic slightly, have you heard of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, also referred to sometimes as the ‘FHRS’? 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

ASK ALL 

B2    Has this business premises been given a Food Hygiene Rating by the local authority [in NI: District Council]?  The rating will have been given following an inspection by your local authority. You will have been issued with a green and black sticker that displays the rating. 
 
IF NECESSARY: This is not a certificate or qualification in food hygiene training awarded to an individual within the business. The rating may have been given some time ago.  The rating will be between 0 and 5 or may say awaiting inspection or rating awaited. 
 
INTERVIEWER: By business premises we mean the outlet stated on the sample, not any other business premises that they may be responsible for. 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No but we expect to receive the rating soon	2
No	3
Don't know	4

ASK IF NOT BEEN GIVEN RATING/ NOT SURE (B2=2/3/4) 

B3    The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme or FHRS involves a food safety officer from the local authority visiting your premises to check on standards of food hygiene and issuing your business with a green and black hygiene rating sticker that shows a rating from zero to five, or [IF ENG/NI: ‘awaiting inspection’; IF WALES: ‘rating awaited’].  

Do you remember your business premises being assessed for its current Food Hygiene Rating using this scheme? 

IF NECESSARY: The sticker shows five green circles and one, larger black circle with the rating for your premises.  
 

WALES IF NECESSARY: The sticker also has the Welsh Government dragon logo located at the top of the sticker towards the centre. 
 

INTERVIEWER: We are only interested in ratings for the premises listed on the sample, not any other business premises that the respondent may be responsible for. If respondent was not working for organisation at the time of inspection but knows that it took place code yes.  
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1	CONTINUE
No	2	GO TO SECTION D
Don't know	3	GO TO SECTION D

 
ASK IF REMEMBER INSPECTION (B3=1)  

B4    Have you received your Food Hygiene Rating for this site yet?   

IF NECESSARY: the rating will be from zero to five 

 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1	CONTINUE
No but we expect to receive the rating soon	2	GO TO SECTION D
No	3	GO TO SECTION D
Don't know	4	GO TO SECTION D

ASK IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) 

B5    Thinking specifically about the green and black food hygiene rating sticker, what rating has this site been given? 

IF NECESSARY: what does the sticker say? 

 

INTERVIEWER: if the respondent mentions a number of STARS, please query: ‘You just mentioned stars, are you definitely referring to the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, which has a green and black logo, with your rating in a CIRCLE?’ [INTERVIEWER, if they are NOT referring to the green and black Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, please recode B3 (or B2 if B3 was not answered). 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

[IF ENG/NI: Awaiting inspection; IF WALES: Rating awaited]	1
0  - Urgent Improvement Necessary	2
1  - Major Improvement Necessary	3
2  - Improvement Necessary	4
3  - Generally Satisfactory	5
4  - Good	6
5  - Very Good	7
Don’t know	8

ASK IF KNOW RATING AND RATING IS LESS THAN 5 (B5=2 to 6) 

B6    Are you satisfied with the rating you received? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

ASK IF NOT SATISFIED WITH RATING (B6=2) 

B7     Why are you not satisfied with the rating you received? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE.  

Received a low rating	1
Rating was lower than expected / expected a higher rating	2
Rating was lower/worse than last time	3
I am doing things the same as before, but I received a lower rating	4
The score/rating may stop some customers using us / gives them a bad impression/Competitors have higher rating	5
Inspector was not fair/Rating is unfair / I do not agree with it	6
Inspection time was inconvenient (e.g. busy time of day)	7
Rating due to poor confidence in management score / paperwork / record keeping	8
Made improvements as required but still got a low rating	9
Other reason (write in)	10
Don’t know	11

IF KNOW RATING (B5=2 to 7) 

B7a    What is the lowest Food Hygiene Rating you would be satisfied with? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

0 - Urgent Improvement Necessary	1
1 - Major Improvement Necessary	2
2 - Improvement Necessary	3
3 - Generally Satisfactory	4
4 – Good	5
5 - Very Good	6
Don’t know	7

 

ASK IF HAVE RATING OF 0-4 (B5= 2 TO 6) 

B8     Have you made any changes to the way you do things at your premises in order to improve your Food Hygiene Rating at the next inspection? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

ASK IF MADE CHANGES (B8=1) 

B9    And what changes have you made at your premises in order to achieve a higher Food Hygiene Rating at your next inspection? PROBE FULLY: What other changes? 

DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE. 

Purchasing additional equipment	1
undertaking repairs / improvement works	13
Cleaning equipment more regularly	2
Monitoring fridge temperatures	3
Cleaning of the workplace/premises (including more thorough/creating rotas)	4
Labelling food with the date it was opened	5
Improve documentation/ record keeping (including updating/ utilising HACCP)	6
Recording what is done every day in a diary	7
Using different equipment (chopping boards, utensils etc) for different foods to avoid cross-contamination	8
Fixing structural issues	11
Improving or implementing staff training	12
Other (write in)	9
Don’t know	10

ASK IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) 

B10    Is your Food Hygiene Rating sticker on display at your premises? 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes - somewhere where it is CLEARLY visible to customer	1
Yes - somewhere where it is NOT CLEARLY visible to customers (e.g. kitchen or office)	2
No	3
Don't know	4

ASK IF ON DISPLAY (B10=1 OR 2) 

B11    Can I just check, can customers clearly see your Food Hygiene Rating sticker from the OUTSIDE of your premises, in other words, without having to enter your premises? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

STICKER ON DISPLAY FROM OUTSIDE AND WALES/NI (B11=1 AND COUNTRY=2/3) 

B12    Does the premises have one or more than one customer entrance? 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

One	1
More than one	2
Site does not have its own entrance	3
Don't know	4

 

PREMISES HAS ONE CUSTOMER ENTRANCE (ASK IF B12=1) 

B13 Do you have the sticker displayed at your customer entrance? 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

PREMISES HAS MORE THAN ONE CUSTOMER ENTRANCES (ASK IF B12=2) 

B14    At how many customer entrances do you have the sticker displayed? 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

None	1
Some	2
All	3
Don't know	4

ASK IF NOT ON PUBLIC DISPLAY (B10=3 or B11=2) 

B15    Why is your Food Hygiene Rating not on display where your customers can clearly see it? 
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTI CODE. 

I do not have to display it / it’s not compulsory	1
Didn’t know we should display it / didn’t know it was compulsory	2
Poor/ low Food Hygiene Rating	3
Business policy not to display ratings	5
Doesn’t suit the surroundings	6
It is more important for staff to see it than the public	7
I do not agree with the rating / the rating is unfair	8
I do not like the rating system	9
I do not understand the scheme	10
It’s not relevant to our business	11
Similar businesses in this area do not display their stickers	12
We have lost the sticker	13
There’s nowhere suitable to show it outdoors	16
Another reason (write in)	14
Don’t know	15

ASK IF ENGLAND FBO AND NOT PUBLIC DISPLAY (COUNTRY=1 AND B10=3 or B11=2) 

B16    What would encourage you to display your Food Hygiene Rating where customers could clearly see it? 
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTI CODE. 

CODE 1 REMOVED	1
If it was the law	2
Fines for not displaying	3
If we had a better Food Hygiene Rating	4
A fairer Food Hygiene Rating scheme	5
If other businesses in the area were displaying theirs	6
If customers asked to see it	7
If I understood the scheme	8
If we could have our lost sticker re-issued	9
Another reason (write in)	10
(single code only) Nothing would encourage me	11
Don’t know	12

ASK IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) 

B17    And thinking more generally now about the Food Hygiene Rating, what is the lowest Food Hygiene Rating that you would consider ‘good enough’ to display at your business? 
IF NECESSARY: the rating will be from zero to five. 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

0 - Urgent Improvement Necessary	1
1 - Major Improvement Necessary	2
2 - Improvement Necessary	3
3 - Generally Satisfactory	4
4 – Good	5
5 - Very Good	6
Don’t know	7
None/I don't agree with the scheme	8

 

IF KNOW RATING (ASK IF B5=2 TO 7) 

B17a    Do you use your Food Hygiene Rating to advertise your business? For example, on menus  or posters. 

 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

USE THEIR FHRS TO ADVERTISE (B17a=1)  

B18    Does your business currently use its Food Hygiene Rating in any of the following forms of advertisement? 

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE PER ROW, RANDOMISE ROWS. 

Form of advertisement	Yes	No	Don't know
_1 Paid advertising	1	2	3
_2 Free advertising	1	2	3
_3 Letterheads	1	2	3
_4 Posters/Sandwich boards/Banners	1	2	3
_5 [IF SCHEME BUSINESS TYPE = 1/24] Table menus	1	2	3
_6 [IF SCHEME BUSINESS TYPE = 1/24] Take-away menus	1	2	3

IF KNOW RATING (ASK IF B5=2 TO 7) 

B18a    Do you display your Food Hygiene Rating online? For example, on your website or on social media accounts. 

 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

IF DISPLAY ONLINE (ASK IF B18A=1) 

B18b    Does your business currently display its Food Hygiene Rating on any of the following online platforms? 

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE PER ROW, RANDOMISE ROWS.	Yes	No	Don't know
_1 On your website (general)	1	2	3
_2 IF A4_2=1 AND B2 =1: On the online ordering function on your website	1	2	3
_3 IF A4_1=1 AND B2 =1: On a delivery service website/app	1	2	3
_4 IF A4_3=1 AND B2 =1: On the online ordering function on social media	1	2	3

ASK IF NOT USING RATING ONLINE IN ANY WAY (IF B18b_1-4 ALL CODE 2 OR B18a CODE 2-3)  

B19    Would you consider displaying your Food Hygiene Rating on the online platforms used by your business in the future? For example, your website or social media accounts. 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

 ASK IF ANSWERED YES (B19=1) 

B20    What online platforms would you consider displaying your Food Hygiene Rating on? 

DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE. 

MULTIPLE CODES REMOVED	-
On your website (general)	9
IF A4_2=1: On the online ordering function on your website	10
IF A4_1=1: On a delivery service website/app	1
IF A4_3=1: On the online ordering function on social media	12
Another way (write in)	13
Don’t know	14

 ASK IF OWN ORDERING FACILITY BUT DOESN’T DISPLAY RATING (A4_2=1 AND B18b_2=2) 

B21    You said that you currently don’t display your Food Hygiene Rating on the online ordering function on your website. Why is this? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE. 

Customers aren’t interested in our rating	1
It isn’t necessary to display the rating	2
I do not have to display it / it’s not compulsory	3
Poor/ low Food Hygiene Rating	4
Business policy not to display ratings	6
I do not agree with the rating / the rating is unfair	7
I do not like the rating system	8
I do not understand the scheme	9
It’s not relevant to our business	10
We don’t have the technical facilities and/or skills to do this	11
Other (write in)	12
Don’t know	13

ASK IF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ORDERING BUT DOESN’T DISPLAY RATING (A4_3=1 AND B18b_4 = 2) 

B22    You said that you currently don’t display your Food Hygiene Rating through the social media platforms that customers can use to order from your business. Why is this? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE. 

Customers aren’t interested in our rating	1
It isn’t necessary to display the rating	2
I do not have to display it / it’s not compulsory	3
Poor/ low Food Hygiene Rating	4
The low Food Hygiene Rating may stop some customers using us	5
Business policy not to display ratings	6
I do not agree with the rating / the rating is unfair	7
I do not like the rating system	8
I do not understand the scheme	9
It’s not relevant to our business	10
We don’t have the technical facilities and/or skills to do this	11
The social media we use won’t allow us to display our rating	12
Other (write in)	13
Don’t know	14

ASK IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) 

B24  How important is it to your business that you have a Food Hygiene Rating? 

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.

Very important	1
Fairly important	2
Neither important nor unimportant	3
Fairly unimportant	4
Very unimportant	5
Don’t know	6

ASK IF RATING ON DISPLAY (B10 = 1 or B11=1) 

B23    To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the Food Hygiene Rating scheme….?  
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE PER ROW, RANDOMISE ROWS. 

Statement	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree or disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	Don't know
_1 I am proud of my business’ Food Hygiene Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6
_2 Having a good Food Hygiene Rating is attractive to customers	1	2	3	4	5	6
_3 I/We work hard to maintain/improve our hygiene rating	1	2	3	4	5	6
_4 Displaying my Food Hygiene Rating improves the reputation of my business	1	2	3	4	5	6
_5 Displaying my Food Hygiene Rating gives my business more customers	1	2	3	4	5	6
_6 Displaying my Food Hygiene Rating shows customers that we take food hygiene seriously	1	2	3	4	5	6
_7 Having a higher rating gives me a competitive advantage over businesses that have lower ratings	1	2	3	4	5	6

B24 REMOVED QUESTION.

Contact with LA Food Hygiene department 

The next series of questions are about contact you may have had with your Local Authority Food Hygiene department. 

ASK IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) 

C1    Do you recall if your business received an inspection report letter from the local authority? 

This letter would have told you your Food Hygiene Rating and may have contained your sticker to put on display. The letter would have been sent out after your last (most recent) inspection. 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes, I can remember receiving this letter	1
No, I cannot remember receiving this lettr	2
Don't know	3

ASK IF RECEIVED LETTER AND HAVE FHRS RATING OF 4 OR LESS (C1=1 AND B5 = 2 TO 6) 

C2    Thinking about the letter you received after your most recent inspection, do you recall if your letter told you what improvements you would need to make to achieve the highest Food Hygiene Rating of 5 at your premises? 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

ASK IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) 

C3     Following an inspection, are you aware that if you are unhappy with your rating you can request… 

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE AT EACH. 

Request	Yes, I am aware	No, I am not aware	Don't know
A ‘right to reply’?  IF NECESSARY: Your right to reply allows you to tell customers how your business has improved its hygiene standards or if there were unusual circumstances at the time of inspection. This response will be published online, alongside the rating, by the local authority.	1	2	3
An appeal?  IF NECESSARY: If you think that the rating you have been given following an inspection is wrong or unfair - in other words it does not reflect the hygiene standards at the time of inspection - you can appeal against this.	1	2	3
A re-rating?  IF NECESSARY: If you make the improvements to hygiene standards that our food safety officer raised at your last planned inspection, you can request a re-visit before the next planned inspection.	1	2	3

ASK IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) AND ARE AWARE OF A RE-RATING (C3_3=1) 

C4     Has your establishment applied for a re-rating inspection from the local authority since your last inspection?  
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

IF DIDN’T APPLY FOR A RE-RATING AND NOT SATISFIED WITH RATING (C4=2 AND B6=2) 

C5    Why did you not apply for a re-rating? 

DO NOT READ OUT. MULTI CODE. 

I wasn’t aware it was an option	1
I didn’t have enough information on how to apply	2
I don’t understand how re-rating works	3
I do not like the rating system	4
I do not understand the scheme	5
The scheme is not relevant to our business	6
I did not think we would get a higher rating	7
I don’t think the rating system is fair	8
The fees are too high	9
The re-rating is carried out by the same authority that issues the rating	10
Other (write in)	11
Don’t know	12

IF APPLIED FOR RE-RATING (C4=1) 

C6    And what was the result of this request for a re-rating? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Awarded a higher rating	1
Rating stayed the same	2
Awarded a lower rating	3
Still waiting for a new inspection/ to hear back from the local authority	4
Not yet been notified of their decision	5
Was not granted another visit from the inspector	6
Other (please specify) BACKCODE AS NECESSARY, ONLY CREATE NEW CODES IF >5% OF ANSWERS.	7
Don’t know/Can’t remember	8

ASK IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) AND AWARE OF RIGHT TO REPLY (C3_1 =1) 

C7    Has your establishment exercised its ‘right to reply’ by sending comments to the local authority about the most recent rating you have been given?  
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

ASK IF HAVEN’T EXERCISED RIGHT TO REPLY AND NOT SATISFIED WITH SCORE (C7=2 AND B6=2) 

C8    Why did you not exercise your ‘right to reply’? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTI CODE. 

I wasn’t aware it was an option	1
I didn’t have enough information on how to reply	2
I don’t understand how right to reply works	3
I do not like the rating system	4
I do not understand the scheme	5
The scheme is not relevant to our business	6
I do not think my reply would be published	7
I don’t think the rating system is fair	8
I didn’t want to spend the time doing it	9
I was worried it would impact on my future ratings	10
Other (write in)	11
Don’t know	12

ASK IF HAVE FHRS AND ENG (IF (B2 =1 OR B4=1) AND COUNTRY=1) 

C9    How would you feel if a scheme was introduced where you were required by law to display your Food Hygiene Rating?  Would you say it would be a... 
 
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Very good thing	1
Fairly good thing	2
Neither a good nor a bad thing	3
Fairly bad thing	4
Very bad thing	5
Don’t know	6

ASK IF RESPONSE (BAD) AT C9 (C9=3 TO 5)  

C10a    Why do you say it would be a [INSERT RESPONSE FROM C9]? 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

It makes no difference – we do it anyway	1
It’s unfair to some businesses	2
Puts additional burden on businesses	3
Bad because people don’t understand your score	4
Other (please specify)	5
Don’t know	6

ASK IF RESPONSE (GOOD) AT C9 (C9=1 TO 2) 

C10b    Why do you say it would be a [INSERT RESPONSE FROM C9]? 

 

PROBE FULLY. 

WRITE IN	-
Don't know	1

IF HAVE FHRS AND WALES/NI (ASK IF B2 =1 OR B4=1 AND COUNTRY=2/3) 

C11    And were you aware before this interview that it is a legal requirement in [IF WALES: Wales; IF NI: Northern Ireland] to have your FHRS rating publicly on display at your premises? 
 
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

IF HAVE FHRS AND WALES/NI (ASK IF B2 =1 OR B4=1 AND COUNTRY=2/3) 

C12    And how do you feel generally about the legal requirement to display your Food Hygiene Rating at your premises? 
 
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE. 

Very good thing	1
Fairly good thing	2
Neither a good nor a bad thing	3
Fairly bad thing	4
Very bad thing	5
Don’t know	6

FEEL BAD ABOUT THE LEGAL REQUIREMENT TO DISPLAY (C12=3 TO 5) 

C12B    Why do you say this?  

DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE.  

It makes no difference – we do it anyway	1
It’s unfair to some businesses	2
Puts additional burden on businesses	3
Bad because people don’t understand your score	4
Other (please specify)	5
Don’t know	6

ASK IF RESPONSE (GOOD) AT C12 (C12=1 TO 2) 

C12anew    Why do you say it would be a [INSERT RESPONSE FROM C12]? 

 

PROBE FULLY. 

WRITE IN	-
Don't know	1

IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) 

C12c    How would you feel if a scheme was introduced where you are required by law to display your Food Hygiene Rating on your online platforms? For example, your website,social media accounts and online ordering platforms e.g. Deliveroo. 

PROBE FULLY. 

WRITE IN	-
Don't know	1
I do not have an online platform (e.g. website, social media, or other online platforms e.g. Deliveroo)	2

IF HAVE FHRS (B2 =1 OR B4=1) 

C13    Which, if any, of the following online facilities do you think should be required by law to display Food Hygiene Ratings? 
 
READ OUT. MULTICODE. RANDOMISE CODES. 

Restaurants and takeaways’ own websites	1
Restaurants and takeaways’ own online ordering facilities	2
Takeaway ordering aggregators or apps (e.g. Just Eat, UberEATS, Deliveroo)	3
Social media (such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter)	4
Restaurant table booking sites (e.g. OpenTable, Bookatable)	5
Hotels’ and guest houses’ own websites where they serve or supply food	6
Accommodation booking websites (e.g. Booking.com, Trivago, Expedia)	7
Supermarket websites	8
None of the above	9
Don’t know	11

D Thank and close

D1 ASK ALL 

Thank you for your time today. Would you be willing for IFF Research to call you back regarding this particular study, if we need to clarify any of the information? This would be before the end of the project, which is expected to be in January 2023. 

Yes	1
No	2

D2  IF CONSENT TO RECONTACT (D1=1) 

And could I just check, is [NUMBER] the best number to call you on? 

Yes	1
No	2

ASK ALL 

D3    The Food Standards Agency have produced an email for those that complete this survey which links to a website with guidance on the food hygiene rating scheme . Would you be interested in receiving this email? 

Yes	1
No	2

 

IF CONSENT TO FSA EMAIL (D3=1) 

D4     Can I take some details so that we can send this email over to you? 

 

Name	WRITE IN
Email address	WRITE IN

READ OUT TO ALL: Just to confirm, we’ll be keeping your anonymised responses to the interview for analysis purposes and if you’d like a copy of your data, to change your data or for your data to be deleted then please get in contact with us at [REDACTED]. 

 

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) and you can do so by calling their helpline on 0303 123 1113. 

THANK RESPONDENT AND CLOSE INTERVIEW