Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) Audit of Display and Business Survey 2022: Technical report

Under the scheme, places where food is supplied, sold or consumed are given a rating ranging from 0 to 5, with 5 standing for ‘very good’ food hygiene and 0 ‘urgent improvement necessary’. The ratings are determined by three elements: hygienic food handling; physical condition of the premises and facilities; and food safety management.  

The FSA has conducted research into the Display of Food Hygiene Ratings in England, Northern Ireland and Wales since 2011. The FSA has been tracking the proportion of food businesses that are displaying their FHRS since 2011. In 2021 the FSA first commissioned IFF to conduct an Audit of the FHRS display meaning that in 2022, IFF conducted their second wave of both the audit and survey research. 

As with previous waves of the research, the objectives were threefold: 

• Provide a representative estimate of the display of food hygiene ratings by food businesses 
• Explore the reasons and drivers for display and non-display  
• Explore business awareness and attitudes towards the scheme 

A two-pronged research approach was adopted to meet these objectives:  

1. a covert audit of 1,500 food businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, conducted by Mystery Shopper, and 
2. a telephone survey of 1,500 food businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, conducted by IFF Research. 

This paper outlines the methodological approach taken for both strands of the research, including sampling; feasibility testing; pilot and mainstage fieldwork; response rates; and weighting.  

For both the audit and telephone survey of food businesses, the sample was obtained from the FSA’s FHRS database. The database initially provided by the FSA included multiple markers such as the business address, FHRS rating, business type, and local authority. It is important to note that the FHRS database is subject to change between the point when the sample is drawn and fieldwork timings due to some food businesses waiting for their appeal during this time.    

The initial dataset received from the FSA on 13th September 2022 contained 371,621 food businesses. This sample was processed to exclude food businesses that were ineligible for the research. Specifically, food businesses were excluded if they had not yet been inspected and issued with an FHRS rating, if they operated in a premise that were not publicly accessible and if they were a mobile food business. ^{(footnote 1)}

From this sample frame we drew 26,914 food businesses, stratified by country, outlet type and FHRS rating to broadly reflect the underlying population of food businesses. Food businesses in England were stratified by region also. Sampled businesses in England broadly fell out in line with the underlying local authority/district council populations although we did not incorporate this into the sample stratification. ^{(footnote 2)} Businesses in Northern Ireland and Wales, takeaways and sandwich shops and those with a food hygiene rating of three or less were oversampled to ensure that robust results could be produced for each sub-group.  

As there are no contact details available on the FHRS database, IFF Research undertook a process of matching telephone numbers to the database. This was achieved by using an external data supplier (REaD Group), who mapped the business names and addresses to their database of telephone numbers via internal desk research. This process yielded a starting sample of 9,583 food businesses.  

The sample frame for the 2022 wave of the FHRS Audit and Survey differed slightly from previous waves as Bed & Breakfasts were excluded from the sample of accommodation businesses due to access issues in previous audits, and home caterers were included in the sample of catering businesses for the telephone survey. Although the 2022 sample frame differs slightly from the 2021 sample frame, there are no concerns about the comparability of data as Bed & Breakfasts and home caterers only make up a small proportion of their respective outlet type groupings.   

From the starting sample of 9,583, a smaller number (4,093) of business sites were selected at random in line with the country, sector and rating targets. Less sample was required for the audit fieldwork as the ability to conduct covert audits was not reliant on the consent of the business. Kitchens without physical premises were not included in the audit. Food businesses considered inaccessible to the public (e.g. staff canteens) were also not intended to be audited, although some were erroneously included in the drawn sample, and two audits of staff canteens were subsequently conducted. ^{(footnote 3)}

^{Tables 2.1 to 2.3 present the profile of the starting sample (9,583) of eligible and usable food businesses for audit and telephone fieldwork in terms of country, outlet type and FHRS rating.}  

Table 2.1 Starting sample for audit and telephone fieldwork by country

Country	Telephone survey	Audit	Total
England	3,066	1,351	3,067
Northern Ireland	3,027	1,373	3,047
Wales	3,455	1,369	3,469
Total	9,548	4,093	9,583

Table 2.2 Starting sample for audit and telephone fieldwork by sector

Sector	Telephone survey	Audit	Total
Accommodation & pub/bar/nightclub	2,073	933	2,079
Restaurants, cafes, canteens, catering	3,621	1,534	3,683
Retail	2,234	939	2,242
Takeaways and sandwich shop	1,620	687	1,624
Total	9,548	4,093	9,583

Table 2.3 Starting sample for audit and telephone fieldwork by FHRS rating

FHRS Rating	Telephone survey	Audit	Total
0	26	6	26
1	244	54	246
2	179	54	179
3	780	276	785
4	1,946	699	1,953
5	6,373	3,005	6,394
Total	9,548	4,093	9,583

 

Pilot fieldwork 

Ahead of the pilot audit fieldwork, some refinements were made to the questionnaire used in the previous wave. Specifically, questions about the format of stickers and the date shown on the reverse of stickers were removed and questions about online display were added. ^{(footnote 1)}       

Pilot audit fieldwork was conducted between October 6th and October 13th 2022 to ensure the questionnaire designed for the audit of food businesses was appropriate ahead of mainstage fieldwork. A small proportion of the starting sample was randomly selected for the pilot (114 businesses), from which the below profile of completes were achieved. In total, 43 audits of food businesses were conducted during the pilot. Tables 3.1 to 3.3  present the number of interviews completed by country, sector and FHRS rating. 

Table 3.1 Profile of pilot audits of food businesses by country

Country	Completed audits
England	14
Northern Ireland	14
Wales	15
Total	43

Table 3.2 Profile of pilot audits of food businesses by sector

Sector	Completed audits
Accommodation & pub/bar/nightclub	6
Restaurant/café/canteen/other catering	16
Retailers	15
Takeaway/sandwich shop	6
Total	43

Table 3.3 Profile of pilot audits of food businesses by FHRS rating

FHRS Rating	Completed audits
0	0
1	2
2	1
3	4
4	8
5	28
Total	43

All auditors (via Mystery Shoppers) received a verbal and written briefing on the survey before the start of pilot fieldwork. The note differed from the 2021 audit instructions in the sense they were clearer and more prescriptive. This briefing provided the auditors with an understanding of the research background, the questionnaire design, the screening criteria, and the sample design.  

The questionnaire performed well during the pilot.  Auditors experienced no issues with any of the survey questions nor any issues with being able to conduct their assignment covertly. There was no need to adapt the audit materials ahead of mainstage fieldwork. The final version of the questionnaire used in mainstage fieldwork can be found in Appendix B of this report. 

Mainstage fieldwork 

Mainstage audit fieldwork took place between October 25th and November 23rd, 2022. In total, 1,525  audits were completed. The final profile of the audits achieved by country, sector and FHRS rating is detailed in Tables 3.4 to 3.6. 

Table 3.4 Profile of mainstage audits of food businesses by country

Country	Completed audits
England	501
Northern Ireland	527
Wales	497
Total	1,525

Table 3.5 Profile of mainstage audits of food businesses by sector

Sector	Completed audits
Accommodation & pubs, bars and nightclubs	267
Restaurants, cafes, canteens & catering	608
Retail	417
Takeaways and sandwich shop	233
Total	1,525

Table 3.6 Profile of mainstage audits of food businesses by FHRS rating

FHRS Rating	Completed Audits
0	2
1	20
2	26
3	114
4	265
5	1,098
Total	1,525

As with the pilot, before the start of mainstage fieldwork all auditors received a briefing on the survey and were issued with written instructions. This ensured that interviewers understood the background to the research, the questionnaire design, the screening criteria, and the sample design. 

During mainstage fieldwork there were some instances where it was not possible to conduct an audit. The main reasons for this included establishments being closed within their advertised opening hours, establishments no longer being in business and establishments not being publicly accessible (22 closed, 5 stopped trading/closed down, 30 inaccessible). Where it was not possible to complete an audit, auditors were given the details of a new establishment to audit, which met the same criteria in terms of region, outlet type and FHRS rating.  

The majority of businesses and establishments that were not publicly accessible were in England (34, compared to 16 in Wales and 7 in Northern Ireland). In all countries, they were also more likely to be  the Restaurant/Café sector (38, compared to 13 in the Accommodation & pub/bar/nightclub sector, 4 Retail sector and 2 in Takeaway/sandwich shop sector). 

Pilot fieldwork 

Ahead of the pilot telephone fieldwork, some refinements were made to the survey used in the previous wave. Specifically, this included new codes at old questions as well as the slight re-wording of some previous question text. New questions about online display were introduced at this wave (B18A, B18b, B19, as well as at C12anew and C12c).  

Between 18th October and 21st October, 2022, IFF Research piloted the Scheme survey with 27 businesses. Tables 4.1 to 4.3 present the number of interviews completed by country, sector and FHRS rating.  

Table 4.1 Profile of pilot interviews of food businesses by country

Country	Completed audits
England	9
Northern Ireland	8
Wales	10
Total	27

Table 4.2 Profile of pilot interviews of food businesses by sector

Sector	Completed audits
Accommodation & pub/bar/nightclub	7
Restaurant/café/canteen/other catering	13
Retailers	6
Takeaway/sandwich shop	1
Total	27

Table 4.3 Profile of pilot interviews of food businesses by FHRS rating

FHRS Rating	Completed audits
0	0
1	1
2	1
3	0
4	5
5	20
Total	27

Before the start of pilot fieldwork all interviewers received a briefing on the survey and were issued with written instructions, providing them with an understanding of the background to the research, the questionnaire design, the screening criteria and the sample design.  

The pilot survey involved administering the survey exactly as it would be during mainstage fieldwork. As well as allowing for further checks on comprehension of questions and survey flow, the pilot provided an opportunity to monitor response patterns and the overall interview length.  

The results of the pilot were positive in that: the average duration was in line with the target duration; there were no issues with the screening process; there was limited feedback from interviewers regarding issues with participant comprehension; and businesses were generally willing to participate. 

Following the completion of pilot fieldwork, there was just one refinement suggested to the questionnaire to improve the clarity of a new question introduced at this wave (question C13c). The final version of the questionnaire used in mainstage fieldwork can be found in Appendix C of this report. 

Mainstage fieldwork 

Mainstage fieldwork was carried out between November 1st and December 9th, 2022. A total of 1,500 food businesses were interviewed. Tables 4.4 to 4.6 present the number of interviews completed by country, sector and FHRS rating. 

Table 4.4 Profile of mainstage interviews of food businesses by country

Country	Completed audits
England	500
Northern Ireland	500
Wales	500
Total	1,500

Table 4.5 Profile of mainstage interviews of food businesses by sector

Sector	Completed audits
Accommodation & pubs, bars and nightclubs	314
Restaurants, cafes, canteens & catering	591
Retail	424
Takeaways and sandwich shop	171
Total	1,500

Table 4.6 Profile of mainstage interviews of food businesses by FHRS rating

FHRS Rating	Completed Audits
0	4
1	20
2	25
3	103
4	256
5	1,092
Total	1,500

As with the pilot, before the start of mainstage fieldwork all interviewers received a briefing on the survey and were issued with written instructions. This ensured that interviewers understood the background to the research, the questionnaire design, the screening criteria and the sample design. 

Checks were conducted on the final 1,500 interviews to ensure the data was robust before the beginning of analysis. This involved conducting data validation checks and identifying outlier responses.    

Response rate 

A total of 9,289 records acquired from the FSA’s FHRS database were used over the course of the telephone survey with food businesses (259 were not called as we reached targets in their quotas relatively quickly). Of these, 154 records were ineligible, as the business reported that they did not sell, serve or prepare food for the public (91) or because the business was closed (63) 

Of the remaining 9,135 businesses, 7,176 records were eligible to take part in the study but did not do so. The most common reason, as shown in Table 4.3, was that we could not secure consent for an interview (6,284) followed by the business consenting to take part but not committing to an interview time in the fieldwork period (297), and not being able to identify an induvial within the business to take part in the research in the fieldwork period (also 297).  

Table 4.7 Survey outcome for sample in scope of the study

Survey outcome	Total	Population in scope of study
Total population in scope of study	9,135	100%
Business called 1 to 10 times but unable to reach target respondent	6,284	69%
Appointment made but not achieved during fieldwork period	297	3%
Out of quota – sector / size / country	41	0%
Not available in fieldwork period / nobody at site available	297	3%
Unobtainable number	257	3%
In scope of study but did not participate in the research	7,176	79%
In scope of study and fieldwork	1,959	21%

Response rate calculations do not include records that were outside of the scope of the fieldwork, given that no firm contact was made with these food businesses. This means that 1,959 records were in scope of fieldwork. Of these, 1,500 completed an interview. This equates to a response rate of 59% (see Table 4.8) 

Table 4.8 Survey outcome for the sample in scope of fieldwork

Survey outcome	Total	Population in scope of study	Population in scope of fieldwork
Total in scope of fieldwork	1,959	21%	100%
Achieved interviews	1,500	16%	77%
Refusals	412	5%	21%
Drop out during interview	47	1%	2%

 

Overlap between the audit and telephone survey of food businesses 

Of the 1,522 food businesses covertly audited, 484 also participated in the telephone survey. Tables 4.9 to 4.11 present the profile of these food businesses in terms of country, sector and FHRS rating.  

Table 4.9 Profile of food businesses both audited and surveyed by country

Country	Completed interview
England	170
Northern Ireland	149
Wales	165
Total completed interviews	484

4.10 Profile of food businesses both audited and surveyed by sector

Sector	Completed interviews
Accommodation & pub/bar/nightclub	101
Restaurants, cafes, canteens, catering	195
Retail	147
Takeaways and sandwich shop	41
Total completed interviews	484

4.11 Profile of food businesses both audited and surveyed by FHRS rating

FHRS Rating	Completed interviews
0	0
1	2
2	7
3	21
4	75
5	379
Total completed interviews	484

The profile of the businesses that were both audited and surveyed broadly reflects the profile of the underlying population of businesses in terms of sector and FHRS rating.  

Weights were applied to the data to make it representative of the target population within each country. The weights were informed by the profile of the underlying population of businesses in terms of sector and FHRS. Data on the underlying population was sourced from FSA’s FHRS database and is presented in Tables 5.1-5.2. ^{(footnote 1)}

Table 5.1 Profile of the underlying business population by sector and FHRS rating within country by sector

Sector	England	Northern Ireland	Wales
Accommodation & pubs/bars/nightclubs	16%	15%	21%
Restaurants/cafés/canteens & other catering	45%	43%	41%
Retail	25%	27%	25%
Takeaways/Sandwich shops	14%	14%	13%

Table 5.2 Profile of the underlying business population by sector and FHRS rating within country by FHRS rating

FHRS Rating	England	Northern Ireland	Wales
0-1	2%	0%	2%
2	2%	1%	1%
3	7%	4%	9%
4	17%	14%	20%
5	72%	81%	68%

 

Table 6.1 English FBO sample stratification by region

English region	Population (n)	Population (%)	Starting sample (n)	Starting sample (%)	Achieved sample (n)	Achieved sample (%)
East Midlands	29,724	9%	260	8%	40	8%
East Counties	35,043	10%	326	11%	71	14%
London	57,062	17%	536	17%	82	16%
North East	16,550	5%	145	5%	26	5%
North West	45,094	13%	419	14%	64	13%
South East	52,990	16%	409	13%	64	13%
South West	34,752	10%	365	12%	65	13%
West Midlands	31,580	9%	277	9%	44	9%
Yorkshire and Humberside	34,653	10%	329	11%	44	9%
Total	337,449	100%	3,066	100%	500	16%

 

Table 6.2 English FBO sample stratification by Local Authority

English Local Authority	Population (n)	Population (%)	Starting sample (n)	Starting sample (%)	Achieved sample (n)	Achieved sample (%)
Adur	335	0.10%	2	0.07%	0	0.00%
Allerdale	903	0.27%	7	0.23%	3	0.60%
Amber Valley	718	0.21%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
Arun	882	0.26%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Ashfield	669	0.20%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
Ashford	746	0.22%	9	0.29%	0	0.00%
Babergh	562	0.17%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
Barking and Dagenham	899	0.27%	10	0.33%	0	0.00%
Barnet	1767	0.52%	23	0.75%	6	1.20%
Barnsley	1183	0.35%	10	0.33%	4	0.80%
Barrow-in-Furness	453	0.13%	2	0.07%	0	0.00%
Basildon	844	0.25%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Basingstoke and Deane	662	0.20%	8	0.26%	1	0.20%
Bassetlaw	758	0.22%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Bath and North East Somerset	1038	0.31%	5	0.16%	1	0.20%
Bedford	1072	0.32%	2	0.23%	0	0.00%
Bexley	1220	0.36%	12	0.39%	1	0.20%
Birmingham	5957	1.77%	49	1.60%	5	1.0%
Blaby	457	0.14%	4	0.13%	2	0.4%
Blackburn	827	0.25%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
Blackpool	1473	0.44%	8	0.26%	1	0.20%
Bolsover	446	0.13%	1	0.03%	0	0.00%
Bolton	1723	0.51%	20	0.65%	2	0.40%
Boston	446	0.13%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	2531	0.75%	32	1.04%	6	1.20%
Bracknell Forest	462	0.14%	1	0.03%	0	0.00%
Bradford	3035	0.90%	31	1.01%	2	0.40%
Braintree	733	0.22%	10	0.33%	2	0.40%
Breckland	862	0.26%	7	0.23%	0	0.00%
Brent	1836	0.54%	12	0.39%	4	0.80%
Brentwood	517	0.15%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
Brighton and Hove	2347	0.70%	12	0.39%	3	0.60%
Bristol	2922	0.87%	19	0.62%	3	0.60%
Broadland	665	0.20%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
Bromley	1558	0.46%	10	0.33%	2	0.40%
Bromsgrove	343	0.10%	4	0.13%	2	0.40%
Broxbourne	536	0.16%	8	0.26%	3	0.60%
Broxtowe	572	0.17%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
Buckinghamshire	2900	0.86%	22	0.72%	2	0.40%
Burnley	608	0.18%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
Bury	868	0.26%	12	0.39%	2	0.40%
Calderdale	1308	0.39%	12	0.39%	2	0.40%
Cambridge City	991	0.29%	14	0.46%	4	0.80%
Camden	3007	0.89%	27	0.88%	3	0.60%
Cannock Chase	625	0.19%	1	0.03%	0	0.00%
Canterbury City	1119	0.33%	10	0.33%	3	0.60%
Carlisle City	781	0.23%	7	0.23%	3	0.60%
Castle Point	419	0.12%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
Central Bedfordshire	968	0.29%	14	0.46%	3	0.60%
Charnwood	1028	0.30%	9	0.29%	2	0.40%
Chelmsford	1089	0.32%	6	0.20%	3	0.60%
Cheltenham	763	0.23%	8	0.26%	2	0.40%
Cherwell	830	0.25%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
Cheshire East	1767	0.52%	20	0.65%	5	1.00%
Cheshire West and Chester	1917	0.57%	14	0.46%	4	0.80%
Chesterfield	725	0.21%	8	0.26%	1	0.20%
Chichester	932	0.28%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Chorley	702	0.21%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
City of London Corporation	1594	0.47%	9	0.29%	0	0.00%
Colchester	1134	0.34%	15	0.49%	2	0.40%
Copeland	540	0.16%	9	0.29%	0	0.00%
Cornwall	3800	1.13%	85	2.77%	17	3.40%
Cotswold	666	0.20%	10	0.33%	4	0.80%
Coventry	1970	0.58%	17	0.55%	0	0.00%
Craven	446	0.13%	5	0.16%	2	0.40%
Crawley	673	0.20%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Croydon	2024	0.60%	22	0.72%	3	0.60%
Dacorum	814	0.24%	8	0.26%	1	0.20%
Darlington	650	0.19%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Dartford	611	0.18%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Derby City	1432	0.42%	14	0.46%	2	0.40%
Derbyshire Dales	751	0.22%	5	0.16%	1	0.20%
Doncaster	2118	0.63%	21	0.68%	4	0.80%
Dorset	2918	0.86%	28	0.91%	2	0.40%
Dover	907	0.27%	6	0.20%	1	0.20%
Dudley	1797	0.53%	11	0.36%	1	0.20%
Durham	3368	1.00%	34	1.11%	7	1.40%
Ealing	1994	0.59%	21	0.68%	3	0.60%
East Cambridgeshire	469	0.14%	6	0.20%	1	0.20%
East Devon	1121	0.33%	10	0.33%	1	0.20%
East Hampshire	685	0.20%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
East Hertfordshire	815	0.24%	12	0.39%	3	0.60%
East Lindsey	1674	0.50%	11	0.36%	0	0.00%
East Riding of Yorkshire	2167	0.64%	30	0.98%	7	1.40%
East Staffordshire	753	0.22%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
East Suffolk	1833	0.54%	20	0.65%	2	0.40%
Eastbourne	725	0.21%	9	0.29%	4	0.80%
Eastleigh	684	0.20%	2	0.07%	0	0.00%
Eden	583	0.17%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Elmbridge	870	0.26%	12	0.39%	3	0.60%
Enfield	1516	0.45%	13	0.42%	5	1.00%
Epping Forest	713	0.21%	7	0.23%	4	0.80%
Epsom and Ewell	351	0.10%	2	0.07%	0	0.00%
Erewash	644	0.19%	10	0.33%	1	0.20%
Exeter City	885	0.26%	8	0.26%	0	0.00%
Fareham	518	0.15%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Fenland	511	0.15%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
Folkestone and Hythe	938	0.28%	8	0.26%	2	0.40%
Forest of Dean	468	0.14%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
Fylde	529	0.16%	7	0.23%	0	0.00%
Gateshead	1061	0.31%	15	0.49%	3	0.60%
Gedling	548	0.16%	8	0.26%	1	0.20%
Gloucester City	904	0.27%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Gosport	389	0.12%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Gravesham	550	0.16%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Great Yarmouth	762	0.23%	6	0.20%	3	0.60%
Greenwich	1613	0.48%	14	0.46%	1	0.20%
Guildford	702	0.21%	7	0.23%	2	0.40%
Hackney	2223	0.66%	20	0.65%	3	0.60%
Halton	681	0.20%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
Hambleton	721	0.21%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
Hammersmith and Fulham	1589	0.47%	16	0.52%	1	0.20%
Harborough	537	0.16%	7	0.23%	0	0.00%
Haringey	1658	0.49%	9	0.29%	1	0.20%
Harlow	436	0.13%	5	0.16%	2	0.40%
Harrogate	1022	0.30%	10	0.33%	1	0.20%
Harrow	1096	0.32%	8	0.26%	0	0.00%
Hart	467	0.14%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
Hartlepool	637	0.19%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Hastings	663	0.20%	5	0.16%	1	0.20%
Havant	541	0.16%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Havering	1049	0.31%	14	0.46%	2	0.40%
Herefordshire	1221	0.36%	14	0.46%	6	1.20%
Hertsmere	510	0.15%	2	0.07%	1	0.20%
High Peak	612	0.18%	3	0.10%	2	0.40%
Hillingdon	1643	0.49%	14	0.46%	1	0.20%
Hinckley and Bosworth	704	0.21%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
Horsham	866	0.26%	6	0.20%	2	0.40%
Hounslow	1293	0.38%	10	0.33%	0	0.00%
Hull and Goole Port	4	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
Hull City	1501	0.44%	18	0.59%	2	0.40%
Huntingdonshire	1000	0.30%	12	0.39%	2	0.40%
Hyndburn	557	0.17%	7	0.23%	0	0.00%
Ipswich	880	0.26%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
Isle of Wight	1239	0.37%	11	0.36%	2	0.40%
Isles of Scilly	83	0.02%	1	0.03%	0	0.00%
Islington	1959	0.58%	16	0.52%	1	0.20%
Kensington and Chelsea	1531	0.45%	19	0.62%	3	0.60%
King's Lynn and West Norfolk	1109	0.33%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
Kingston-Upon-Thames	936	0.28%	13	0.42%	4	0.80%
Kirklees	3067	0.91%	28	0.91%	5	1.00%
Knowsley	518	0.15%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Lambeth	1953	0.58%	23	0.75%	2	0.40%
Lancaster City	853	0.25%	6	0.20%	2	0.40%
Leeds	4655	1.38%	41	1.34%	3	0.60%
Leicester City	2367	0.70%	26	0.85%	6	1.20%
Lewes	682	0.20%	3	0.10%	2	0.40%
Lewisham	1920	0.57%	12	0.39%	1	0.20%
Lichfield	553	0.16%	5	0.16%	2	0.40%
Lincoln City	815	0.24%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Liverpool	2999	0.89%	26	0.85%	6	1.20%
Luton	1054	0.31%	14	0.46%	6	1.20%
Maidstone	941	0.28%	8	0.26%	2	0.40%
Maldon	440	0.13%	7	0.23%	4	0.80%
Malvern Hills	345	0.10%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
Manchester	3639	1.08%	35	1.14%	5	1.00%
Mansfield	626	0.19%	4	0.13%	3	0.60%
Medway	1298	0.38%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
Melton	366	0.11%	2	0.07%	1	0.20%
Mendip	856	0.25%	6	0.20%	2	0.40%
Merton	1061	0.31%	6	0.20%	2	0.40%
Mid Devon	408	0.12%	5	0.16%	2	0.40%
Mid Suffolk	510	0.15%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Mid Sussex	898	0.27%	2	0.07%	0	0.00%
Middlesbrough	751	0.22%	6	0.20%	1	0.20%
Milton Keynes	1558	0.46%	10	0.33%	0	0.00%
Mole Valley	471	0.14%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
New Forest	1289	0.38%	15	0.49%	8	1.60%
Newark and Sherwood	851	0.25%	8	0.26%	3	0.60%
Newcastle Upon Tyne	1995	0.59%	19	0.62%	2	0.40%
Newcastle-Under-Lyme	670	0.20%	6	0.20%	1	0.20%
Newham	2050	0.61%	16	0.52%	1	0.20%
North Devon	1049	0.31%	10	0.33%	0	0.00%
North East Derbyshire	543	0.16%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
North East Lincolnshire	1059	0.31%	6	0.20%	2	0.40%
North Hertfordshire	765	0.23%	11	0.36%	1	0.20%
North Kesteven	664	0.20%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
North Lincolnshire	1065	0.32%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
North Norfolk	1042	0.31%	8	0.26%	0	0.00%
North Northamptonshire	1971	0.58%	16	0.52%	1	0.20%
North Somerset	1084	0.32%	8	0.26%	1	0.20%
North Tyneside	1024	0.30%	8	0.26%	3	0.60%
North Warwickshire	472	0.14%	7	0.23%	0	0.00%
North West Leicestershire	636	0.19%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Northumberland	2598	0.77%	20	0.65%	3	0.60%
Norwich City	1170	0.35%	6	0.20%	1	0.20%
Nottingham City	2197	0.65%	24	0.78%	2	0.40%
Nuneaton and Bedworth	583	0.17%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
Oadby and Wigston	242	0.07%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
Oldham	1422	0.42%	18	0.59%	3	0.60%
Oxford City	1126	0.33%	5	0.16%	1	0.20%
Pendle	591	0.18%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Peterborough City	1245	0.37%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Plymouth City	1261	0.37%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
Portsmouth	1449	0.43%	11	0.36%	1	0.20%
Preston	1093	0.32%	10	0.33%	0	0.00%
Reading	1003	0.30%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
Redbridge	1374	0.41%	11	0.36%	2	0.40%
Redcar and Cleveland	869	0.26%	7	0.23%	2	0.40%
Redditch	232	0.07%	1	0.03%	0	0.00%
Reigate and Banstead	779	0.23%	5	0.16%	1	0.20%
Ribble Valley	485	0.14%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Richmondshire	455	0.13%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
Richmond-Upon-Thames	1078	0.32%	8	0.26%	2	0.40%
River Tees	4	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
Rochdale	1156	0.34%	15	0.49%	4	0.80%
Rochford	493	0.15%	2	0.07%	1	0.20%
Rossendale	516	0.15%	1	0.03%	0	0.00%
Rother	703	0.21%	5	0.16%	1	0.20%
Rotherham	1561	0.46%	12	0.39%	1	0.20%
Rugby	597	0.18%	7	0.23%	2	0.40%
Runnymede	469	0.14%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Rushcliffe	544	0.16%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
Rushmoor	472	0.14%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Rutland	313	0.09%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Ryedale	457	0.14%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Salford	1404	0.42%	14	0.46%	2	0.40%
Sandwell	1612	0.48%	14	0.46%	1	0.20%
Scarborough	1358	0.40%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
Sedgemoor	878	0.26%	9	0.29%	0	0.00%
Sefton	1733	0.51%	11	0.36%	3	0.60%
Selby	490	0.15%	6	0.20%	1	0.20%
Sevenoaks	620	0.18%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Sheffield	3320	0.98%	31	1.01%	1	0.20%
Shropshire	2061	0.61%	18	0.59%	3	0.60%
Slough	719	0.21%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
Solihull	1067	0.32%	9	0.29%	2	0.40%
Somerset West and Taunton	1013	0.30%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
South Cambridgeshire	675	0.20%	4	0.13%	1	0.20%
South Derbyshire	539	0.16%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
South Gloucestershire	1080	0.32%	9	0.29%	2	0.40%
South Hams	615	0.18%	10	0.33%	2	0.40%
South Holland	531	0.16%	7	0.23%	2	0.40%
South Kesteven	872	0.26%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
South Lakeland	1361	0.40%	11	0.36%	1	0.20%
South Norfolk	620	0.18%	7	0.23%	2	0.40%
South Oxfordshire	890	0.26%	16	0.52%	1	0.20%
South Ribble	498	0.15%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
South Somerset	1205	0.36%	13	0.42%	2	0.40%
South Staffordshire	495	0.15%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
South Tyneside	830	0.25%	10	0.33%	0	0.00%
Southampton	1025	0.30%	8	0.26%	1	0.20%
Southend-On-Sea	1133	0.34%	6	0.20%	2	0.40%
Southwark	2688	0.80%	26	0.85%	7	1.40%
Spelthorne	515	0.15%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
St Albans City	747	0.22%	18	0.59%	6	1.20%
St Helens	982	0.29%	11	0.36%	3	0.60%
Stafford	824	0.24%	7	0.23%	0	0.00%
Staffordshire Moorlands	534	0.16%	5	0.16%	2	0.40%
Stevenage	401	0.12%	1	0.03%	0	0.00%
Stockport	1671	0.50%	15	0.49%	2	0.40%
Stockton On Tees	1193	0.35%	7	0.23%	3	0.60%
Stoke-On-Trent	1272	0.38%	8	0.26%	0	0.00%
Stratford-on-Avon	941	0.28%	5	0.16%	1	0.20%
Stroud	667	0.20%	7	0.23%	2	0.40%
Sunderland	1570	0.47%	8	0.26%	1	0.20%
Surrey Heath	469	0.14%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
Sutton	844	0.25%	7	0.23%	0	0.00%
Swale	881	0.26%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Swindon	1043	0.31%	9	0.29%	3	0.60%
Tameside	1302	0.39%	10	0.33%	1	0.20%
Tamworth	341	0.10%	2	0.07%	1	0.20%
Tandridge	467	0.14%	5	0.16%	1	0.20%
Teignbridge	964	0.29%	16	0.52%	4	0.80%
Telford and Wrekin Council	1039	0.31%	18	0.59%	1	0.20%
Tendring	675	0.20%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Test Valley	677	0.20%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Tewkesbury	509	0.15%	2	0.07%	0	0.00%
Thanet	1206	0.36%	12	0.39%	4	0.80%
Three Rivers	420	0.12%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Thurrock	645	0.19%	7	0.23%	1	0.20%
Tonbridge and Malling	679	0.20%	6	0.20%	1	0.20%
Torbay	981	0.29%	4	0.13%	0	0.00%
Torridge	578	0.17%	11	0.36%	2	0.40%
Tower Hamlets	2483	0.74%	19	0.62%	2	0.40%
Trafford	1488	0.44%	14	0.46%	1	0.20%
Tunbridge Wells	745	0.22%	10	0.33%	2	0.40%
Uttlesford	535	0.16%	9	0.29%	2	0.40%
Vale of White Horse	704	0.21%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Wakefield	2131	0.63%	25	0.82%	2	0.40%
Walsall	1299	0.38%	14	0.46%	2	0.40%
Waltham Forest	1518	0.45%	31	1.01%	6	1.20%
Wandsworth	1864	0.55%	15	0.49%	2	0.40%
Warrington	1253	0.37%	11	0.36%	2	0.40%
Warwick	996	0.30%	12	0.39%	4	0.80%
Watford	695	0.21%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Waverley	695	0.21%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Wealden	965	0.29%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
Welwyn Hatfield	448	0.13%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
West Berkshire	810	0.24%	5	0.16%	0	0.00%
West Devon	338	0.10%	2	0.07%	0	0.00%
West Lancashire	586	0.17%	9	0.29%	1	0.20%
West Lindsey	535	0.16%	3	0.10%	1	0.20%
West Northamptonshire	2391	0.71%	27	0.88%	5	1.00%
West Oxfordshire	563	0.17%	8	0.26%	3	0.60%
West Suffolk	1086	0.32%	9	0.29%	1	0.20%
Westminster	4224	1.25%	49	1.60%	11	2.20%
Wigan	1869	0.55%	19	0.62%	2	0.40%
Wiltshire	2125	0.63%	18	0.59%	4	0.80%
Winchester City	634	0.19%	9	0.29%	0	0.00%
Windsor and Maidenhead	981	0.29%	11	0.36%	0	0.00%
Wirral	1998	0.59%	20	0.65%	2	0.40%
Woking	585	0.17%	6	0.20%	3	0.60%
Wokingham	697	0.21%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Wolverhampton	1595	0.47%	21	0.68%	4	0.80%
Worcester City	439	0.13%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
Worthing	731	0.22%	3	0.10%	0	0.00%
Wychavon	546	0.16%	7	0.23%	0	0.00%
Wyre	765	0.23%	6	0.20%	0	0.00%
Wyre Forest	401	0.12%	4	0.13%	2	0.40%
York	1530	0.45%	15	0.49%	2	0.40%
Total	337449	100.00%	3066	100.00%	500	100.00%

 

Table 6.3 Northern Irish FBO sample stratification by Local Authority

Northern Ireland Local Authority	Population (n)	Population (%)	Starting sample (n)	Starting sample (%)	Achieved sample (n)	Achieved sample (%)
Antrim and Newtownabbey	652	5.74%	195	6.44%	27	5.40%
Ards and North Down	925	8.14%	240	7.93%	42	8.40%
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	1145	10.07%	289	9.55%	43	8.60%
Belfast City	2142	18.84%	546	18.04%	82	16.40%
Causeway Coast and Glens	1067	9.39%	302	9.98%	53	10.60%
Derry City and Strabane	1001	8.81%	253	8.36%	43	8.60%
Fermanagh and Omagh	922	8.11%	199	6.57%	33	6.60%
Lisburn and Castlereagh City	641	5.64	161	5.32%	39	7.80%
Mid and East Antrim	766	6.74%	223	7.37%	39	7.80%
Mid Ulster	880	7.74%	258	8.52%	41	8.20%
Newry, Mourne and Down	1227	10.79%	361	11.93%	58	11.60%
Total	11368	100.00%	3027	100.00%	500	100.00%

Table 6.4 Welsh FBO sample stratification by Local Authority

Welsh Local Authority	Population (n)	Population (%)	Starting sample (n)	Starting sample (%)	Achieved sample (n)	Achieved sample (%)
Anglesey	526	2.31%	87	2.52%	9	1.80%
Blaenau Gwent	434	1.90%	56	1.62%	8	1.60%
Bridgend	938	4.11%	117	3.39%	21	4.20%
Caerphilly	1037	4.55%	133	3.85%	18	3.60%
Cardiff	2369	10.39%	384	11.11%	54	10.80%
Carmarthenshire	1417	6.21%	216	6.25%	24	4.80%
Ceredigion	741	3.25%	136	3.94%	20	4.00%
Conwy	1229	5.39%	223	6.45%	36	7.20%
Denbighshire	671	2.94%	112	3.24%	17	3.40%
Flintshire	912	4.00%	143	4.14%	21	4.20%
Gwynedd	1494	6.55%	204	5.90%	36	7.20%
Merthyr Tydfil	415	1.82%	59	1.71%	9	1.80%
Monmouthshire	645	2.83%	101	2.92%	22	4.40%
Neath Port Talbot	887	3.89%	134	3.88%	11	2.20%
Newport	891	3.91%	128	3.70%	15	3.00%
Pembrokeshire	1440	6.31%	247	7.15%	38	7.60%
Powys	1636	7.17%	233	6.74%	36	7.20%
Rhondda Cynon Taf	1347	5.91%	196	5.67%	24	4.80%
Swansea	1696	7.44%	235	6.80%	26	7.20%
Torfaen	514	2.25%	72	2.08%	9	1.80%
Vale of Glamorgan	869	3.81%	133	3.85%	17	3.40%
Wrexham	696	3.05%	106	3.07%	19	3.80%
Total	22804	100.00%	3455	100.00%	500	100.00%

 

Data

Question	Shopper guidance	Answer set	Format
Date of visit	-	-	[dd/mm/yyyy]
Time of visit	-	-	[hh:mm]
Organisation visited	-	[verbatim comment box]	-
Establishment type	-	-	-
Region	-	-	England/Northern Ireland/Wales
Standing facing the outlet, what was on the left of the outlet?	Record the name and type of establishment – for example, White Horse pub or Marks and Spencer	[verbatim comment box]	-
Standing facing the outlet, what was on the right of the outlet?	Record the name and type of establishment – for example, White Horse pub or Marks and Spencer	[verbatim comment box]	-
Please upload an image of the outlet	(the picture must show the signage of the outlet, please refer to the briefing notes for examples)	-	-

Outlet type

Question	Shopper guidance	Answer set	Format
Did this premises have its own entrance(s)?	-	Yes/No	-
How many public entrances did the outlet have?	-	1/2/3 or more	-
Was the outlet on an external road or street or within a larger establishment?	-	on a road/street in a larger establishment somewhere else (please explain)	compulsory comment for 'somewhere else' please explain
Was the outlet open at the time of your visit?	If no, please detail any further information about the closure	yes no - stopped trading no - does not exist no - closed at time of visit yes but I was unable to gain access to the outlet please comment No - other reason please comment	If no, remainder of form to close (apart from Please specify whether the site has stopped trading/didn’t exist or was closed at the time of the visit:) and compulsory comment box for further details
If it is closed at the time of visit, please revisit during trading hours. If it is permanently closed, go back to MSL so that they can provide a replacement like-for-like business.	-	-	-
Did you see an FHRS sticker at this outlet?	Please note, if you could not locate a sticker please describe where you looked, including whether you were able to enter outlet.	Yes/No (please comment)	-
Was the sticker displayed on one or more entrances?	Please explain which entrances were not displaying	One entrance only - please comment Some of the entrances - please comment All entrances	Only visible if more than 1 entrance selected
Did you check the following outlets inside the outlet for a sticker	-	-	-
In the area just inside the customer access point of the internal outlet	-	Yes/No (please explain)	Only applicable to no own entrance
On the inside of the door(s) or window(s)	-	Yes/No (please explain)	Only applicable to no own entrance
On the inside of the door(s) or window(s)	-	Yes/No (please explain)	Only applicable to no own entrance
On the walls in the main service area	-	Yes/No (please explain)	Applicable to all
At the counter or till	-	Yes/No (please explain)	Applicable to all
At the entrances to any non-public areas. for example, the kitchen	-	Yes/No (please explain)	Applicable to all
Somewhere else (please state where)	-	Yes/No (please explain)	Applicable to all compulsory comment for somewhere else

Food Hygiene Rating Scheme stickers

Question	Shopper guidance	Answer set	Format
Did this premises have its own entrance(s)?	-	Yes/No	-
How many public entrances did the outlet have?	-	1/2/3 or more	-

Other observations

Question	Shopper guidance	Answer set	Format
How many FHRS stickers did you see at the outlet?	-	1/2/3/4/5/more than 5	-
If "more than 5" is selected, then prior to the start of the first loop, we need a instruction on screen saying "YOU WILL ONLY BE ASKED TO RECORD DETAILS ABOUT THE FIRST FIVE FHRS STICKERS THAT YOU SAW AT THE OUTLET IN THE NEXT FEW QUESTIONS"	-	-	-
Sticker 1: Was the food hygiene rating sticker visible from the outside of the premises?	For example, could you see the sticker without entering the premises?	Yes/No	-
Sticker 1: Was the FHRS sticker clearly visible?	By clearly visible we mean not obscured by any other stickers or posters and not blocked from view by any furniture or objects for example, plant pot	Yes/No	-
Sticker 1: Where was the sticker located? (for outlets with their own entrance)	-	on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from outside of the outlet on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from inside the outlet only in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas e.g. the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets with their own entrance
Sticker 1: Where was the sticker located? (for outlets without their own entrance)	-	in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas for example, the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets without their own entrance
Sticker 1: What rating was on the sticker?	-	awaiting inspection(for England and NI) rating Awaited (for Wales) 0 – (Urgent Improvement Necessary) 1 – (Major Improvement Necessary) 2 – (Improvement Necessary) 3 – (Generally satisfactory) 4 – (Good) 5 – (Very Good)	-
Sticker 1: Please upload a photo of the front of sticker 1.	Please do this discreetly and in context of the surroundings. If it is not possible to take a photo discreetlydiscreetly, please do not take a photo.	[UPLOAD]	-
Sticker 2: Was the food hygiene rating sticker visible from the outside of the premises?	For example, could you see the sticker without entering the premises?	Yes/No	-
Sticker 2: Was the FHRS sticker clearly visible?	By “clearly visible” we mean not obscured by any other stickers or posters and not blocked from view by any furniture or objects for example, plant plot.	Yes/No	-
Sticker 2: Where was the sticker located? (for outlets with their own entrance)	-	on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from outside of the outlet on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from inside the outlet only in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas e.g. the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets with their own entrance
Sticker 2: Where was the sticker located? (for outlets without their own entrance)	-	in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas for example, the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets with their own entrance
Sticker 2: What rating was on the sticker?	-	awaiting inspection(for England and NI) rating Awaited (for Wales) 0 – (Urgent Improvement Necessary) 1 – (Major Improvement Necessary) 2 – (Improvement Necessary) 3 – (Generally satisfactory) 4 – (Good) 5 – (Very Good)	-
Sticker 2: Please upload a photo of the front of sticker 2.	Please do this discreetly and in context of the surroundings. If it is not possible to take a photo discreetly, please do not take a photo.	[UPLOAD}	-
Sticker 3: Was the food hygiene rating sticker visible from the outside of the premises?	For example, could you see the sticker without entering the premises?	Yes/No	-
Sticker 3: Was the FHRS sticker clearly visible?	By “clearly visible” we mean not obscured by any other stickers or posters and not blocked from view by any furniture or objects for example, plant plot.	Yes/No	-
Sticker 3: Where was the sticker located?	-	on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from outside of the outlet on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from inside the outlet only in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas e.g. the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets without their own entrance.
Sticker 3: Where was the sticker located? (for outlets with their own entrance)	-	in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas for example, the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets without their own entrance.
Sticker 3: What rating was on the sticker? (for outlets without their own entrance)	-	awaiting inspection(for England and NI) rating Awaited (for Wales) 0 – (Urgent Improvement Necessary) 1 – (Major Improvement Necessary) 2 – (Improvement Necessary) 3 – (Generally satisfactory) 4 – (Good) 5 – (Very Good)	-
Sticker 3: Please upload a photo of the front of sticker 3.	Please do this discreetly and in context of the surroundings. If it is not possible to take a photo discreetly, please do not take a photo.	[UPLOAD]	-
Sticker 4: Was the food hygiene rating sticker visible from the outside of the premises?	For example, could you see the sticker without entering the premises?	Yes/No	-
Sticker 4: Was the FHRS sticker clearly visible?	By “clearly visible” we mean not obscured by any other stickers or posters and not blocked from view by any furniture or objects for example, plant plot.	Yes/No	-
Sticker 4: Where was the sticker located? (for outlets with their own entrance)	-	on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from outside of the outlet on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from inside the outlet only in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas e.g. the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets without their own entrance.
Sticker 4: Where was the sticker located? (for outlets without their own entrance)	-	in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas for example, the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets without their own entrance.
Sticker 4: What rating was on the sticker?	-	awaiting inspection(for England and NI) rating Awaited (for Wales) 0 – (Urgent Improvement Necessary) 1 – (Major Improvement Necessary) 2 – (Improvement Necessary) 3 – (Generally satisfactory) 4 – (Good) 5 – (Very Good)	-
Sticker 4: Please upload a photo of the front of sticker 4.	Please do this discreetly and in context of the surroundings. If it is not possible to take a photo discreetly, please do not take a photo.	[UPLOAD]	-
Sticker 5: Was the food hygiene rating sticker visible from the outside of the premises?	For example, could you see the sticker without entering the premises?	Yes/No	-
Sticker 5: Was the FHRS sticker clearly visible?	By “clearly visible” we mean not obscured by any other stickers or posters and not blocked from view by any furniture or objects for example, plant plot.	Yes/No	-
Sticker 5: Where was the sticker located? (for outlets with their own entrance)	-	on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from outside of the outlet on the inside of the door(s) or window(s) so that it is visible from inside the outlet only in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas e.g. the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets with own entrance
Sticker 5: Where was the sticker located? (for outlets without their own entrance)	-	in the area just inside the entrance? on the walls in the main service area at the counter or till at the entrances to any non-public areas for example, the kitchen somewhere else - please comment	Only visible for outlets with own entrance
Sticker 5: What rating was on the sticker?	-	awaiting inspection(for England and NI) rating Awaited (for Wales) 0 – (Urgent Improvement Necessary) 1 – (Major Improvement Necessary) 2 – (Improvement Necessary) 3 – (Generally satisfactory) 4 – (Good) 5 – (Very Good)	-
Sticker 5: Please upload a photo of the front of sticker 5.	Please do this discreetly and in context of the surroundings. If it is not possible to take a photo discreetly, please do not take a photo.	[UPLOAD]	-

 

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

 

What’s The Assignment All About? 

The objective of the audit is to assess covertly whether outlets are displaying their Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) stickers. The aim is to determine the rating, display and location of the stickers. We are particularly interested in knowing if the sticker is visible from outside the outlet/at entrances when the business is open. Clearly visible stickers are for consumers before they enter the outlet to be able to make an informed choice about where they eat. 

Important:

The assignment must be done covertly, without being openly acknowledged by others. You should not disclose what you are trying to do and you should act like a customer. Your behaviour should not make others suspicious of you. Do not under any circumstances refer to the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme or the sticker - you need to locate stickers covertly yourself and these should be easy to locate in a visible place. If the photo cannot be taken without raising suspicion, please do not take one.

What do I have to do? 

Before your assignment: 

• Check the opening times (on the outlet’s website where possible) for each food outlet you will be auditing. Please take into account the opening hours of the establishments and make sure you only visit when they are open. If you know that the outlet is not accessible to the public (e.g.  home caterer at a private address and staff canteen), please let us know and we will remove this from your account and we can swap for another outlet . If you’re unsure whether the outlet is still trading please call them and ask if they are open etc. 
• Check the outlet’s website or Facebook Business Page for the FHRS rating, take screenshots of the FHRS rating shown for the outlet and include the website address clearly. If you cannot locate a website or Facebook Business Page for the outlet you will need to Google it and take a screenshot of the search result where you’ve googled the outlet’s name and postcode. 
• Read the assessment form carefully. 
• Download the MSL app before your visits, details can be found under our Helpful Links and Information at the bottom of this brief. You will then be able to complete the audits at the time and submit through the app. 
• Please remember the assignment must be conducted discretely, without anyone knowing what you are doing. When taking a photo of the sticker, please take the photo discretely and in context (e.g., if the sticker is next to the till, step back and take a photo that captures the surrounding environment including the sticker). If the photo cannot be taken without raising suspicion, please do not take one. 

During your assignment: 

1. Take a photo of the outside of the whole store clearly including what is to the left and right. (Please remember to date & time stamp your photos). All photos must be taken discretely, meaning that no one should be aware of what you are doing or feel suspicious about your presence.  
2. Some outlets will have more than one entrance so you will need to check all entrances, please note which entrances have stickers on and take discrete pictures of these. Please take the photo of the sticker in context, capturing the surrounding environment instead of taking the picture too close to the sticker (e.g., if the sticker is on the door, take a photo of the whole door. If it is not possible to take a photo discretely, do not take a photo and provide a reason why the photo could not be taken discretely). Unlike last year you do not need to take pictures of the back of the sticker. 
3. You will need to find a reason to covertly gain access to the outlet and look around. This could mean making up a scenario to gain access. For example, if you’re trying to obtain access to a hotel or restaurant you could say that you would like to have a look round with the prospect of making a booking. Try not to lead on the business in these instances. If the outlet is not easily accessible and it will not appear natural to enter without suspicion, please contact MSL whilst on site for an alternative outlet.  
4. If you find at any time that the outlet is a corporate venue and you’re unable to gain access, please contact us whilst on site so that we can let you know how to proceed. 
5. You need to check the below areas for stickers at each outlet: 

• On the inside of doors/windows 
• In the area just inside the entrance 
• On the walls 
• At the counter or till 
• On the entrance to non-public areas, such as the kitchen 
• Anywhere else that a sticker may be visibly displayed 
•  
• 6. If you see more than 5 stickers at one outlet you will only need to record the first 5.
• 7. If you’re not able to audit an outlet as it’s closed, but have visited within the opening hours, please contact MSL whilst on site. You will still need to complete an assessment form and detail why you were not able to enter. Please ensure you take a picture of the outside of the outlet and upload this to your assessment form.
• 8. Please note that you are required to try as best as you can to gain access (make up a scenario if need be). If you are unable to gain access to the outlet for any other reason than it’s closed, please contact us whilst you are still on site so that we can provide you with a replacement outlet. 

After 

Following your assignment, please: 

• Please complete each assessment straight after each audit to avoid confusion between audits.  
• Upload a photo of the outside of the outlet clearly showing the whole building and what is to the left and right. 
• Upload your photos of each FHRS sticker that you can see and note where it was. 

 Examples of stickers: 

When does my Assessment Form have to be Completed by? 

Please ensure that the online assessment is completed the same day as your audit. If you have an issue which might delay this, you must contact us to let us know, or your assignment will be marked as late and you may not be paid.  

Any Concerns or Questions?  

We are here to help, and we would rather you contact us with any concerns or questions before they become a problem. [CONTACT DETAILS REDACTED]