Small and Micro Food Business Operator (FBO) Tracking Survey: Wave 3 2021 - Technical Report

1    Introduction

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been tracking small and micro Food Business Operator (FBO) attitudes towards food-related topics, and trust in the FSA and food system, since 2018. This has helped inform engagement and intervention activity targeted at businesses with fewer than 50 staff. 

The survey was initially developed to assess the perceived impact of changes as a result of the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU), and the Achieving Business Compliance (ABC) programme, which aims to modernise the regulation of food businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since then, it has evolved to regularly track small and micro FBO views on a range of subjects.

In 2021, the third wave  of the annual tracking survey was carried out, with the following aims:

• To gain insight, and understand the implications of the EU Exit on small and micro enterprises
• To ‘unpack’ attitudes towards regulation and deepen insights and knowledge of small and micro enterprises, including with regards to the FSA’s ABC priority
• To measure trust in the FSA and extent to which FSA is considered a modern, accountable regulator

All fieldwork for wave 3 was carried out by IFF Research, an independent market research company, commission by FSA.

This paper outlines the methodological approach taken for wave 3 of the research, including sampling; feasibility testing; pilot and mainstage fieldwork; response rates; and weighting. 

2    Sampling

All sample was obtained from the FSA’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) database. The initial dataset received from the FSA contained 543,181 food businesses. This sample was processed to exclude food businesses that were ineligible for the research. Specifically, food businesses were excluded if they did not process, sell or serve food to the public.

As there are no contact details available on the FHRS database, it was necessary for IFF Research to undertake telephone lookups. This was achieved by using external data suppliers (Market Location and REaD Group) and through internal desk research. 

Once exclusions and telephone lookups had been conducted, 35,535 food businesses remained in the dataset. From this, a starting sample of 7,541 food businesses was drawn and stratified by country, sector and FHRS rating to broadly reflect the underlying population of food businesses. It was not possible to stratify the sample by business size as information on employee numbers was not available on the FSA’s FHRS database. Food businesses from Northern Ireland and Wales were oversampled to ensure that robust results could be produced for each group during audit and telephone fieldwork. 

Table 2.1 presents the profile of the starting sample of eligible and usable food businesses for fieldwork in terms of country, sector and FHRS rating. 

Table 2.1 Starting sample for telephone fieldwork

Audience	Number of Records
England	5,383
Northern Ireland	962
Wales	1,196
Manufacturing	924
Wholesale	654
Retailers	1,652
Accommodation	1,282
Food and beverage service activities	3,029
FHRS rating 0-2	701
FHRS rating 3	748
FHRS rating 4	1,607
FHRS rating 5	3,225
FHRS Awaiting inspection / Exempt	1,260

A full list of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 codes in scope for each sector can be found in Annex 3 of the main report.

3    Telephone fieldwork

Cognitive testing

Design of the questionnaire was broadly based on the 2019 survey. Where possible, questions remained unchanged to enable tracking of key measures over time. In collaboration with the FSA, a number of additions and amends were made to the 2021 questionnaire to meet evolving policy needs.

Between 20th September and 4th October 2021, 14 cognitive interviews were conducted with food businesses to test the first draft of questionnaire. These interviews involved running through any questions that were new to the 2021 survey (or had been amended from previous waves). Follow-up discussions at the end of the survey checked the respondents’ understanding of terminology and the extent to which it was easy or difficult to answer questions. Owing to survey length, questions that had been used in previous waves of the survey were not tested at this stage.

The survey performed well during cognitive interviews. Participants typically understood the questions asked and were able to answer them with relative ease. However, there were some questions where potential issues were identified and/or where improvements were recommended by participants. Small changes were therefore made to the questionnaire ahead of pilot fieldwork, including the adaptation of question language throughout the survey to be inclusive of a wider range of businesses (particularly those that do not serve food directly to the public). Cognitive testing also highlighted that many questions (such as those around online booking) did not specify whether this related just to food and drink products, or to all products and services provided by the business. As a result of this, changes were made throughout the questionnaire to clarify that such questions relate to food and drink products only. 

Pilot fieldwork

Between 26th and 29th October 2021, pilot interviews were conducted with 37 food businesses. Table 3.1 presents the number of interviews completed by nation, sector and number of employees. 

Table 3.1 Profile of pilot interview with food businesses

Audience	Completed interviews
England	27
Northern Ireland	4
Wales	6
Manufacturing	5
Wholesale	2
Retail	14
Accommodation	7
Food and beverage service activities	9
1 employee	3
2-9 employees	15
10-24 employees	16
25-49 employees	3

Prior to the commencement of pilot fieldwork, all interviewers received a briefing on the survey and were issued with written instructions. This provided 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 pilot found no issue with business engagement and respondents were generally engaged with the subject areas covered. However, a high proportion of businesses were found to unnecessarily screen out during the screener questions. As a result of this, changes made to the script to simplify eligibility criteria.  The most prominent change to the screener was to clarify inclusion of businesses who sell or serve any food products (regardless of whether this is their main business activity).

The pilot found the average duration of the survey to be nearly 32 minutes, which was above the target of 23 minutes. As a result of this, a number of cuts were made to the questionnaire, with a particular focus on removing questions that businesses felt were less relevant to them or where they struggled to answer. Long ‘read out’ answer lists were also reduced where possible and improvements were made to survey routing to reduce the average interview time. 

In addition to the above, minor refinements were made throughout the questionnaire to improve the clarity of questions, provide definitions where needed, and to add pre-coded responses that were not previously included. The final version of the questionnaire used in mainstage fieldwork can be found in Appendix A of this report.

Mainstage fieldwork

Mainstage fieldwork was carried out between 15th November and 17th December 2021. Including pilot respondents, a total of 700 food businesses were interviewed. Table 3.2 presents the number of interviews completed by county, sector, size and FHRS rating.

Table 3.2 Profile of mainstage interviews with food businesses

Audience	Completed interviews
England	505
Northern Ireland	85
Wales	110
Wholesale	82
Retail	138
Accommodation	110
Food and beverage service activities	256
1 employee	59
2-9 employees	377
10-24 employees	179
25-49 employees	85
FHRS rating 0-2	45
FHRS rating 3	73
FHRS rating 4	166
FHRS rating 5	288
FHRS No rating / Awaiting inspection	128

As with the pilot, prior to commencement 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 700 interviews to ensure the data was robust before the beginning of analysis. This involved conducting data validation checks and identifying outlier responses.  

Response rate

From the selected sample, 849 records were not phoned by interviewers as it was clear from the business name that they were not in scope (e.g. churches, community centres). This meant that a total of 6,694 records, acquired from the FSA’s FHRS database, were used over the course of fieldwork. Of these, a further 581 records were found to be ineligible during survey fieldwork, for the following reasons:

• the business reported that they did not sell or serve food products (335)
• they were part of a franchise (109)
• they had 50 or more employees (88)
• because the business was closed (35)
• they did not have any permanent premises handling food or drink (14).

Of the remaining 6,113 records, a further 4,946 were not in the scope of fieldwork. For example, 3,167 records could not be reached during the fieldwork period and 618 records had an appointment set that could not be achieved in the fieldwork period (Tee table 3.3). 

Table 3.3 Survey outcome for sample in scope of the study

Outcome	Total	Population in scope of study
Total in scope of study	6,113	100%
No answer / voicemail	3,167	52%
Appointment made but not achieved during fieldwork period	618	10%
Out of quote - sector / size / country	158	3%
Not available in fieldwork period / nobody at site available	502	8%
Unobtainable number	501	8%
In scope of study but not in scope of fieldwork	4,946	81%
In scope of fieldwork	1,167	19%

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 1,167 records were in scope of fieldwork. Of these 700 completed an interview. This equates to a response rate of 60% (see Table 3.4).

Table 3.4 Survey outcome for the sample in scope of fieldwork

Outcome	Total	Population in scope of study	Population in scope in fieldwork
Total in scope of fieldwork	1,167	19%	100%
Achieved Interviews	700	11%	60%
Refusals	451	7%	39%
Breakdown during interview	16	<1%	1%

4    Weighting

In line with standard social research practice, the data collected from the telephone survey of food businesses was weighted to make it representative of the underlying population. Weighting the data was necessary because of the decision to stratify interviews to ensure sufficient base sizes were achieved by country.

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 rating. The weights also incorporated business size (number of employees). Data on the underlying population was sourced from FSA’s FHRS database and the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR)  and is presented in Tables 4.1 and 4.2. 

Table 4.1 Profile of the underlaying business population by sector and FHRS rating within country

Audience	England	Northern Ireland	Wales
Manufacturing	1%	0.15%	0.29%
Wholesale	1%	0.03%	0.09%
Retail	21%	1%	1%
Accommodation	4%	0.18%	0.46%
Food and beverage service activities	63%	2%	4%
FHRS rating 0-2	3%	0.03%	0.21%
FHRS rating 3	7%	0.13%	1%
FHRS rating 4	15%	1%	1%
FHRS rating 5	51%	2%	4%
FHRS awaiting inspection / No rating	14%	0.39%	1%

Table 4.2 Profile of the underlaying business population by size

Number of employees	Population of study
1-9	82.7%
10-24	13.9%
25-49	3.4%

Appendix A: Mainstage questionnaire

Introduction

Ask telephonist:

i1 Good morning / afternoon. My name is NAME and I'm calling from IFF Research on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Please can I speak to the person responsible for food safety and hygiene?

Question outcome and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Transferred	1	Continue
Hard appointment	2	Make appointment
Soft appointment	3	Make appointment
Engaged	4	Call back
Refusal	5	Close
Refusal - company policy	6	Close
Refusal - Taken part in recent survey	7	Close
Nobody at site able to answer questions	8	Close
Not available in deadline	9	Close
Fax Line	10	Close
No reply/ Answer phone	11	Close
Residential Number	12	Close
Dead line	13	Close
Company closed	14	Close
Request reassurance email	-	Collect email address then continue or make appointment

Ask all

i2 Good morning / afternoon, my name is NAME, calling from IFF Research, an independent market research company. We’re conducting a survey on behalf of The Food Standards Agency (FSA). The survey will cover a number of food-related topic areas, such as views of the FSA and the current food regulation system. This research will inform future FSA policy decisions and help to ensure they work for small businesses such as yours. The survey will take around 20 minutes to complete.

i3 Add if necessary: At the end of the survey, we can send you some useful resources to support compliance with food safety regulations.

i4 Are you happy to continue?

Question outcome and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Continue	1	Continue
Referred to someone else at establishment	2	Record name and job title, transfer and re-introduce
Hard appointment	3	Make appointment
Soft appointment	4	Make appointment
Refusal	5	Thank and close
Refusal - company policy	6	Thank and close
Refusal - taken part in recent survey	7	Thank and close
Not available in deadline	8	Thank and close
Not in the food or drink sector	-	Thank and close
Request reassurance email	-	Collect email address then continue or make appointment

Ask all

i5 Before we start, I have to give you some information about your rights under data protection law. All answers will be treated in the strictest confidence. You have the right to have a copy of your data, change your data or withdraw from the research at any point. To do this, you can consult our website at iffresearch.com/gdpr.  This call will be recorded for quality and training purposes only. Are you OK to continue?

Question outcome and actions

Outcome	Code	Action
Yes	1	Continue
No	2	Screen out

Reassurance to use if necessary 

The interview will take around 20 minutes to complete.
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.
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: Luke Osborne: FSATracker@iffresearch.com 
• Food Standards Agency: socialscience@food.gov.uk

Screener Questions

Ask all in mainstage

s1 Firstly, I just need to check a few details to make sure this survey is relevant for you. I have [text fill from tracker type] as a general classification for your business, is that right?
Single Code do not read out
Note to do DS Textfill should be as such...

• Trackertype = 1 Manufacture of food or drink
• Trackertype = 2 Wholesale of food or drink
• Trackertype = 3 Retail of food or drink
• Trackertype = 4 Accommodation serviing food or drink
• Trackertype = 5 Food and Beverage service activities

Outcomes codes

Outcome	Code
Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

If sample information is correct and retailer (trackertype = 3 and S1=1)

s1A And which type of retail best describes your business?

Single Code. Read out. 

Question outcome and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Specialist food retailer	1	Continue
Other food retailed e.g. convenience store/general supermarket (including forecourts)	3	Continue
None of the above - do not sell food products	4	Screen out

If business description incorrect (S1 = 2 or 3) 

S2 Which of the following would best describe your business activity?

Single Code. Read out. 

Question outcome and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Food or drink manufacturer/packer	1	Continue
Food or drink wholesaler (e.g. importer/exporter/distributer/transporter)	2	Continue
Specialist food or drink retailer	4	Continue
Other food or drink retailer (e.g. convenience store/general supermarket (including forecourts)	3	Continue
Accommodation serving food (e.g. guest house, hotel)	6	Continue
Restaurant/catering business/café/pub (Food and Beverage Service)	7	Continue
Primary Food Producers	8	Screen out
None of these	9	Continue
Don’t know	10	Continue
Prefer not to say	11	Continue

If do not fit category or not sure (S2 = 9,10,11) 

s2 CHECK And can I just check, does your business sell or serve and food products for human consumption? 

Question outcome and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Yes	1	Continue
No	2	Screen out
Don't know	3	Screen out

Dummy variable, do not ask.

S2DUM

Single Code.

Note to DS: As per trackertype unless S2-1-7 in which case overwrite with S2 response.

Question outcome and Trackertype

Outcome	Code	Trackertype
Manufacturing	1	(TRACKERTYPE=1 AND S1=1) OR S2=1 OR (TRACKERTYPE = 1 AND S2=9,10,11 AND S2CHECK=1)
Wholesale	2	(TRACKERTYPE=2 AND S1=1) OR S2=2 OR (TRACKERTYPE = 2 AND S2=9,10,11 AND S2CHECK=1)
Retail	3	(TRACKERTYPE=3 AND S1=1) OR S2=3,4 OR (TRACKERTYPE = 3 AND S2=9,10,11 AND S2CHECK=1)
Accommodation	4	(TRACKERTYPE=4 AND S1=1) OR S2=6 OR (TRACKERTYPE = 4 AND S2=9,10,11 AND S2CHECK=1)
Food and beverage service activities	5	(TRACKERTYPE=5 AND S1=1) OR S2=7 OR (TRACKERTYPE = 5 AND S2=9,10,11 AND S2CHECK=1)

Ask all

s3 And can I check, is your business part of a franchise?

Single Code. Do not read out. 

Question outcome and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Yes - part of a franchise	1	Screen out
No	2	Continue
Don't know	3	Continue

Ask all

s4 How many premises handling food and/or drink does your business have? 

Please do not include any mobile premises or vending machines.

Single Code. Read out. 

Question outcomes and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Zero - we do not have any permanent premises where food and drink are handled	1	Screen out
One	2	Continue
More than one	3	Record number then continue

If more than one premises (s2 = code 3)

s5 Is this premises the headquarters of the organisation or a branch/subsidiary site?

Single Code. Read out. 

Question outcomes and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Headquarters	1	Continue
Branch/subsidiary	2	Continue

Ask all

s6 How many employees, including yourself, work for this business (across all premises)?

By employee, we mean someone with a contract of employment, including outworkers or people on zero hours contracts, but excluding any employees of other organisations working at your premises. Please include part-timers, as well as any working proprietors.

Single Code. Do not read out. 

Question outcomes and action

Outcome	Code	Action
1	1	Continue
2-9	2	Continue
10-24	3	Continue
25-49	4	Continue
50+	5	Screen out

Ask all

s7 Which local authority is your business registered with?

Note to interviewer - record one local authority only. If multiple listed, ask for headquarters. 

Questions outcomes and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Known		Record Local Authority name and continue
Don't know	1	Continue
Prefer not to say	2	continue

Business Profile

If manufacturer or wholesaler (S2DUM=1,2) 

a1 Do you sell or serve food and drink directly to the public?

Single Code. Do not read answer codes. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Yes	1
No	2

Ask all

a2 What is the legal status of your business?

Single code. Prompt if necessary. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Sole trader	1
Private limited company, limited by shared (LTD.)	2
Public limited company (PLC)	3
Partnership	4
Limited liability partnership	5
Private company limited by guarantee	6
Community interest company (CIC)	7
Co-operative	8
Private Unlimited company	9
Other (please specify)	10
Don’t know	11
Prefer not to say	12

If accommodation or food and beverage service (S2DUM = 4 or 5) 

a3 How would you describe the sort of business you work for/own?

Single code. Prompt if necessary. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Café/snack bar/tearoom	1
Caterer	2
Caterer (mobile)	3
Guest house/hotel	4
Pub/bar/inn	5
Restaurant	6
Take away food/fish and chip shop	7
Other (please specify)	8

Ask all

a5 How would you describe the way that food and drink products are distributed or sold by your establishment?

Multi code. Read out. 

Question outcomes and action

Outcome	Code	Action
Pre-packaged, received from manufacturer/not made on premises	1	Continue
Packaged on premises to be sold to other businesses or customers	2	Continue
Produced and sold (unpackaged) on premises (crops, livestock etc)	3	Continue
Sold as a meal, take-away, or otherwise packaged at point of sale	4	Continue
Other (please specify)	5	Continue
Don't know	6	Do not read out. Continue

If sell meals or take away (A5=4)

a6 Delete

Ask all

a7 How long has your business been trading?

Single code. Do not read out. 

Question outcomes and codes

Outcome	Code
Less than a year	1
Less than 2 years	2
Less than 5 years	3
Less than 10 years	4
Less than 20 years	5
20 years or more	6
Don't know	7

Ask all

a8 Does your business have a website?

Single code. Do not read out. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

If they have a website (A8=1)

a9 Does your business take food or drink orders through your website?

Single code. Do not read out. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

Ask all

a10 What, if any, social media account does your business use?

Multi code. Do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Facebook	1
Instagram	2
Twitter	3
TikTok	4
Snapchat	5
Nextdoor	6
Other (please specify)	7
Do not use social media accounts	8
Don't know	9

If they have social media accounts (A10=1-7) 

a11 Does your business take food or drink orders through any of your social media accounts?

Multicode 1 and 2. Read out.

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Yes - through a social media ecommerce function (e.g. Facebook Marketplace)	1
Yes - via direct messages	2
No	3
Don't know	4

Ask all

a13 What third-party platforms, if any, do you use to sell food and drinks products?

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Deliveroo	1
Just Eat	2
Uber Eats	3
Amazon	4
Etsy	5
NotOnTheHighstreet	6
eBay	7
AliExpress	8
Other (please specify)	9
None of the above - do no tuse any third party platforms to sell food or drinks products	10
Don't know	11
Prefer not to say	12

If trade online (A9=1 OR A11=1/2 OR A13=1-9)

a14 Does your business trade online using any other business names?

Single code. Do not read out. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

If trade online (A9=1 OR A11=1/2 OR A13=1-9)

a12 Approximately how much of your sales turnover is currently accounted for by online sales (across all platforms used)?

Single code. Read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Less than a quarter	1
Less than half	2
Half	3
More than half but not all	4
All	5
Don't know (Do not read out)	6

If trade online and if business has been trading more than two years (A9=1 OR A11=1/2 OR A13=1-9) AND (A7=3-6)

a13    How has your business’s online sales changed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic (March 2020)?

Single code. Read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Greatly increased	1
Slightly increased	2
Stayed the same	3
Sightly decreased	4
Greatly decreased	5
Didn't sell online before the pandemic	6
Don't know	7

Priorities and Concerns

Ask all

b1 I’m now going to read out a list of possible concerns, threats, or barriers to the success of your business. Please tell me if they currently apply to your business.

Multi code. Read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Obtaining or managing finance	1
Staff recruitment and skills	2
Meeting food standards/safety regulatory requirements	3
Changes in regulations and restrictions due to Covid-19	4
Competition from unregulated businesses	5
Competition from large businesses dominating the market	6
Other market competition (SMEs)	7
Lack of adequate broadband	8
Changes in consumer behaviour and demand due to Covid-19	9
Availability of food supplies/disruption in the supply chain	10
None of these (exclusive)	11
Don't know (exclusive)	12

If struggling to recruit staff (B1=3)

b2 What types of staff are you struggling to recuit?

Multi code. Do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Seasonal workers	1
General (unskilled) labourers	-
Shop assistants	-
Factory/manufacturing workers	2
Drivers	3
Kitchen staff	4
Waiting/customer facing staff	5
Managers	6
Workers with specialist skills (for example, chef, butcher)	7
Supervisors	8
Senior management	9
Other (please specify)	10
Don't know	-

Ask all

b3 The UK has now left the EU and the transition period has ended. What impact, if any, has this had on your business up to now?

Single code. Read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Largely negative	1
Some negative impact	2
Mixed impact	3
Some positive impact	4
Largely positive impact	5
No impact	6
Don't know (Do not read out)	7

If EU Exit has had impact (B3 = 1-5)

b3A What, would you say, is the main impact of EU Exit on your business?

Note to interviewer: Do not need to prompt for further detail

Multi code. Do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Profit margins have increased	1
Profit margins have decreased / higher overall costs	2
Availability of food has increased	3
Availability of food has decreased	4
Availability of other (non-food) products has increased
Availability of other (non-food) products has decreased
Longer delivery times
Quality of food has increased	5
Quality of food has decreased	6
Regulations are easier to follow	7
Regulations are harder to follow	8
More paperwork	9
Less paperwork	10
Recruiting workers/staff is easier	11
Recruiting workers/staff is harder	12
More customers
Fewer customers
Other (Please specify)	13
Don’t know	14

Ask all

b4 Over the next few years, what sort of impact do you expect the UK’s exit from the EU will have on your business?

Single code. Read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Largely negative	1
Somewhat negative impact	2
Mixed impact	3
Some positive impact	4
Largely positive impact	5
No impact	6
Don't know	7

General Food Safety

Ask all

c1 How confident are you that food safety/hygiene standards and regulations are...

Single code per row. Read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Very confident	Fairly Confident	Not very confident	Not at all confident	Don't know
i. Are effective at protecting the public from food related risks	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
ii. Are reasonable for food businesses to meet	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
iii. Add value to your business	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
iv. Are easy and practical to comply with	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5

Ask all

c2 How confident are you that the ways in which food businesses are monitored and checked with regards to food safety, standards, and hygiene…

Single code per row. Read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Very confident	Fairly confident	Not very confident	Not at all confident	Don't know
i. Are conducted fairly	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
ii. Help ensure low performing food businesses improve	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5

Ask all

c3 Deleted

Ask all

c4 Thinking about the majority of food businesses in the UK, how confident do you feel that the following food safety requirements are being met… 

Single code per row. Read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Very confident	Fairly confident	Not very confident	Not at all confident	Don't know
i. Food is safe to eat	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
ii. information on food labels is accurate	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
iii. People aren't misled by the way food is labelled, advertised or marketed	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
iv. Records are kept of where food is from and show this information on demand (maintaining traceability)	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
v. Unsafe food is withdrawn/recalled correctly	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
vi. Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) rating are displayed	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5
vii. Clear information on allergens is provided	Code = 1	Code = 2	Code = 3	Code = 4	Code = 5

Ask all

c5 Do you provide information on allergens contained in food/drink that you sell?

Single code per row. Do not read out. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

Ask all

c6 Do you provide information on allergens that might be present in your products due to cross contamination (in production, storage, or preparation)?

Single code per row. Do not read answer codes. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

If allergen information is provided (C5=1 OR C6=1)

c7 How (in what format) is allergen information provided to customers or clients?

Multi code. Do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
In writing – ingredient lists on packaging	1
In writing elsewhere on food packaging	2
In writing on other packaging/shipment materials	3
In writing on menus/shelves	4
In writing as a separate notice on display	5
In writing on request	6
Verbally on request	7
On your own website	8
On your own social media	9
On a third-party site or aggregator	10
By phone by request – number provided on online ordering platform	11
In writing in folder or welcome pack given to guests	12
In writing on purchasing/order forms/invoices/contracts	13
Allergen matrix/grid	14
Other (please specify)	15
Don’t know	16

If selling pre-packaged food (A5=1)

c8 Before today, were you aware of Natasha's law, the Food Information to Consumers (FIC) Regulation amendment which will make it compulsory to provide full ingredients labelling for Pre-packaged for Direct Sale (PPDS) foods (in place from October 1st, 2021)?

Single code. Do not read out. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Yes	1
No	2
Not sure	3

READ TO ALL

c9 The Food Standards Agency are interested in knowing how best to provide effective information and guidance on regulations to small food businesses, the following questions will help inform this work…

Ask All. 

c10 What language is primarily spoken by your businesses’ management?

Multi code. Do not read out. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
English	1
Other (please specify)	2

c11 What language is primarily spoken by your businesses’ employees?

Multi code. Do not read out. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
English	1
Other (please specify)	2

Ask all

c12 What is your preferred language for receiving written information about food regulations?

Multi code. Do not read out. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
English	1
Other (please specify)	2

Ask all

c13 How are staff and managers provided with information and training on food safety guidelines and regulations including food allergies?

Multi code. Prompt if necessary. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Posters on the walls	1
Information leaflets	2
Given booklets on allergy control	3
Formal training for existing staff
Updates given verbally to staff
Formal training for all new staff (for example, any training which takes place away from usual work activities.)	4
Online training (business's own or commercial provider's)	5
FSA allergies e-learning package	6
FSA Safer Food Better Business package	7
NFCU (National Food Crime Unit) Fraud Resilience Tool	8
Other FSA e-learning packages	9
Other (please specify)	10
None of the above	11
Don’t know	12

Ask all

c14 How much, if anything, do you know about the Food Standards Agency (FSA)?

Single Code. Read out. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
I know a lot	1
I know a little	2
I have heard of the FSA	3
I hadn't heard of the FSA until I was contacted for this survey	4
I have never heard of the FSA	5
Don't know (Do not read out)	6

Ask all who have heard of the FSA (C14 = 1-4)

c15 In the last 12 months, have you visited the FSA’s website, contacted the helpline or been in touch via social media?

Multi code. Read out codes. 

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Code
Yes, I visited the website	1
Yes, I called the helpline	2
Yes, I emailed the helpline email address	3
Yes, via social media (please specify how)	4
No, but contacted another way (please specify)	5
No	6
Can't recall	7

If contacted FSA (C15 = 1-5)

c16 Based on your experience of contacting the FSA, how would you rate the following on a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 is excellent and 1 is very poor:

Single code per row, read out.

Question outcome and code

Outcome	Score 1	Score 2	Score 3	Score 4	Score 5	Score 6	Score 7	Score 8	Score 9	Score 10
Trustworthiness	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Ease of use/access	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Approachability	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Clarity of communication	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

Ask all

c17 I am now going to read out a list of statements about the FSA and what it does. I’d like you to tell me how confident you are that the agency is achieving these…

Single code per row, read out.

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Very confident	Fairly confident	Not very confident	Not at all confident	Don't know
i.  The FSA is influential in maintaining standards within the food industry	1	2	3	4	5
ii.  The FSA is good at identifying where poor standards exist and takes appropriate action	1	2	3	4	5
iii.  The FSA understands the needs of businesses like yours	1	2	3	4	5
iv. The FSA effectively communicates and promotes regulations within the food industry	1	2	3	4	5
v.  The FSA works hard to ensure that food safety and standards are maintained and improved within the food industry to protect the public from food related risks	1	2	3	4	5

Ask all

c18 How confident do you feel that the FSA...

Single code per row, read out.

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Very confident	Fairly confident	Not very confident	Not at all confident	Don't know
i. Can be trusted to uphold and promote high standards	1	2	3	4	5
ii.  Can be trusted to use any information you give them appropriately	1	2	3	4	5

Ask all excluding wholesalers (S"DUM=1, 3-5)

c19 What, if any, steps, have you taken to help customers make healthier choices?

Multicode, read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Calorie labelling	1
Front of pack nutrition labelling	2
Reducing portion sizes	3
Changes to ingredients or cooking method	4
Promotions on food which is lower in calories, sugar, salt or fat.	5
Wider range of healthier options
Other (please specify)	6
No steps taken	7
Don't know	8
Not applicable to my business	9

Experience of Processes/Interventions

Ask all

e1 Overall, how well informed do you feel about regulations that affect your food or drink business?

Please consider all regulations that that are relevant to your industry.

Single code, read out.

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
Very well informed	1
Quite well informed	2
Not very well informed	3
Not at all informed	4
Don't know.	5

Ask all

e2 Where do you get information about food safety guidelines and regulations, food allergies and product recalls?  

Multi code, prompt if necessary. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
The news	1
FSA website	2
FSA helpline	3
[ENGLAND OR WALES] your local authority [NI] your district council	4
FSA leaflets	6
Generic web search (Google)	8
Environmental health website	9
Business networks (e.g. Federation of Small Businesses)	12
Suppliers
Trade bodies/associations	14
Gov.uk	16
Welsh government	17
Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)	18
Online third-party platform support pages	24
Other (please specify)	25
None of these	26

Ask all

e3  Have you ever been subscribed to the FSA news and alerts service?

Add if necessary: this may be to receive information on consultations, general FSA news, as well as food and allergy alerts by email or text message

Single code, read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes, I am subscribed	1
Yes, but have since unsubscribed	2
No, but have heard of it	3
No, have not heard of it	4
Don’t know

If subscribed to FSA News and Alerts (E3=1)

e4    Deleted

Ask all

e5    Are you aware of the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU)?

Single code, do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3

Ask all

e6 To the best of your knowledge, has your business been the victim of any of the following food crimes over the last 12 months?

Add if necessary: The FSA defines food crime as serious fraud and related criminality in food supply chains. This definition also includes activity impacting on drink and animal feed.

Multi code, read out.

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Theft of your food stock.	1
Supplied with a food product that was illegally produced, for example, in unapproved premises.	2
Supplied with a food product that was destined for waste disposal.	3
Supplied with a food product that included a substance that is not on a product’s label.	4
Dishonestly supplied with a substituted food product, for example, goat meat instead of lamb.	5
Supplied with a deliberately mislabelled food product, where the labels wrongly portrayed its quality, safety, origin, or freshness, e.g., product labelled as organic when it is not.	6
Other food crime (please specify)	7
None of the above	8
Don't know	9

If theft of food (E6 = 1)

e7 How many times has your business been a victim of theft in the last 12 months? 

Single code, do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Once	1
2-4 time	2
5-9 time	3
10-20 times	4
More than 20 times	5
Don't know	6

If theft of food (E6 = 1)

e8 Can you estimate how much theft has cost your business (in total) in the last 12 months?

Single code, do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
£0 to £999	1
£1,000 to £9,999	2
£10,000 to £49,999	3
Over £50,000	4
Don't know	5

If other food crime (E6 = 2-7)

e9 How many times has your business been a victim of one of these [IF E6=1: other deception] offenses in the last 12 months?

Single code, do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Once	1
2-4 time	2
5-9 time	3
10-20 times	4
More than 20 times	5
Don't know	6

If other food crime (E6 = 2-7)

e10 Can you estimate how much these offences have cost your business (in total) in the last 12 months?

Single code, do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	Code
£0-999	1
£1,000--9,999	2
£10,000-49,999	3
Over £50,000	4
Don't know	5

If any food crime (E6 = 1-7)

e11 Did you report the food crime on these occasions?

Single code, do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes - on all occasions	1
Yes - on some occasions	2
No	3
Don't know	4

If didn't report crime (E11 = 2,3)

e12 What stopped you from reporting these food crimes

Write answer. 

If reported crime on any occasion (E11 = 1,2)

e13 To which agency did you report the food crimes?

Multi code, read out answer codes. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Police	1
Action Fraud	2
Local Authority	3
NFCU (or FSA)	4
Other (please specify)	5
Don't know	6

Imports/Exports

Ask all

f1a Has your business ever imported or exported goods or services from a supplier outside the UK, or do you intend to do so in the future?

Question outcomes and action

Outcome	code	action
Yes	1	continue
No	2	Go to question G1
Don't know	3	Go to question G1
Prefer not to say	4	continue

If ever imported/exported or might (F1a = 1,4)

f1 At present, does your business directly import or purchase goods or services from a supplier, producer or wholesaler situated outside of the UK?

Add if necessary: Republic of Ireland should be included as 'outside of the UK’

Single code, do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3
Prefer not to say	4

If import (F1 = 1)

f2 Where are these overseas suppliers or producers based?

Multi code, read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Within the EU or EEA excluding Republic of Ireland	1
Outside of the EU or EEA (European Economic Area)	2
Republic of Ireland	3
Don't know	4

If ever imported/exported or might (F1A=1,4)

f3 Over the past 12 months, has your business...

Multi code. Read out.

Question outcomes and action

Outcome	code	action
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Started importing	1	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Increased quantity of imports	2	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Decreased quantity of imports	3	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Stopped importing products	4	Allow multicode with code 5 only
Changed overseas supplier due to location (e.g. from EU to non-EU company)	5	Allow multicode
None of the above	6	Single code
Don't know (DO NOT READ OUT)	7	Single code

If ever imported/exported or might (F1A=1,4)

f4 Now thinking about the next 12 months, do you expect your business to…

Single code, read out codes. 

Question outcomes and action

Outcome	code	action
(If F1 = 2 or 3,4) Started importing	1	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Increased quantity of imports	2	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Decreased quantity of imports	3	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Stopped importing	4	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4)  Changed overseas supplier due to location	5	Allow multicode
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) None of the above (if f1=2) Continue not importing	6	Single code
Don't know (Do not read out)	7	Single code

If ever imported/exported or might (F1A=1,4)

f5 At present, does your business export any food or drink products outside of the UK? This could include commissions, royalties, and licenses.

Single code, do not read out. 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes	1
No	2
Don't know	3
Prefer not to say	4

If have overseas customers (F4 = 1)

f6 Where are these overseas customers based?

Multi code, read out. 

 

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Within the EU or EEA excluding Republic of Ireland	1
Outside of the EU or EEA (European Economic Area)	2
Republic of Ireland	3
Don't know	4

If ever imported/exported or might (F1A=1,4)

f7 Over the last 12 months, has your business…

Single code, read out codes. 

Question outcomes and action

Outcome	code	action
(If F51 = 1 or 3,4) Started exporting	1	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F5 = 1 or 3,4) Increased quantity of exports	2	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F5 = 1 or 3,4) Decreased quantity of exports	3	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F5 = 2 or 3,4) Stopped exporting products	4	Allow multicode with code 5 only
Changed export destinations due to location (e.g. from EU to non-EU company)	5	Allow multicode
None of the above	6	Single code
Don't know (Do not read out)	7	Single code

If ever imported/exported or might (F1A=1,4)

f8 Now thinking about the next 12 months, do you expect your business to...

Single code, read out.

Question outcomes and action

Outcome	code	action
(If F5 = 2 or 3,4) Started exporting	1	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Increased quantity of exports	2	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Decreased quantity of exports	3	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) Stopped exporting	4	Allow multicode with code 5 only
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4)  Changed export destination due to location	5	Allow multicode
(If F1 = 1 or 3,4) None of the above (if f1=2) Continue to not export	6	Single code
Don't know (Do not read out)	7	Single code

Computer Systems

Ask all

g1 Deleted

Consent

Ask all
h1  Thank you for your time today. The Food Standards Agency may want to further explore the views of businesses like yours in more detail and follow up on some of the issues highlighted in this survey. Would you be willing to take part in further research at a later date? 

Single code, do not read out.

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes	1
No	2

Ask all

h2    Would you be happy for us to pass back your comments to the Food Standards Agency with your organisation’s name attached?

Single code, do not read out.

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes	1
No	2

Ask all

h3 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 2022.

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes	1
No	2

If consent to recontact (H1 = 1 or H3 = 1)

h4 And could I just check, is [NUMBER] the best number to call you on?

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes	1
No - write the number	2

And what is your full name? (write in)

Ask all

h5 The Food Standards Agency have produced an email for those that complete this survey with links to information that might be useful to businesses like yours. Would you be interested in receiving this email?

Question outcomes and code

Outcome	code
Yes	1
No	2

If consent to FSA E-mail (H% = 1)

h6 Can I take some details so that we can send this email over to you?

Write in name and email address. 

Thank and close.