Chapter 1: Awareness and recognition of the FHRS

Awareness of the FHRS

Most respondents (89%) reported that they had heard of the FHRS. Around six in ten (59%) reported that they had heard of the FHRS and knew a lot or a bit about it. Almost a third (31%) of respondents reported that they had heard of the FHRS but didn’t know much or anything about it. Around 1 in 10 respondents (11%) reported that they had not heard of the FHRS ^{(footnote 1)} .

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 4

Most respondents in England (89%), Wales (95%), and Northern Ireland (92%) had heard of the FHRS (Figure 1)**. Respondents in Wales (74%) and Northern Ireland (65%) were more likely to report knowledge of the FHRS than those in England (57%)**. 

Respondents aged between 16 and 74 years were more likely to have at least a bit of knowledge of the FHRS than those aged 75 years or over. For example, 68% of those aged 45-54 years reported knowledge of the FHRS, compared to 37% of those aged 75 years or over (Figure 2).

Awareness and knowledge of the FHRS also varied between the following groups of people

• Annual household income: respondents with an income above £19,000 (for example, 62% of those with an income of £64,000-£95,999) were more likely to report knowledge of the FHRS compared to those with an income of less than £19,000 (53%)**.   
• National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC): respondents in all other groups (for example, 62% of those in managerial, administrative, and professional occupations) were more likely to report knowledge of the FHRS than those who were long term unemployed and/or never worked (45%).
• Responsibility for cooking: respondents who were responsible for cooking (60%) were more likely to report knowledge of the FHRS than those who do not cook (44%). 
• Responsibility for shopping: respondents who were responsible for food shopping (59%) were more likely to report knowledge of the FHRS than those who never shop for food (46%). 

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 4

Respondents were asked where they had come across the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. The most common place respondents had come across the FHRS was a food hygiene rating sticker displayed at a food business premises (85%). Over a third (37%) of respondents had come across the FHRS on a food business’ website, 22% had come across the FHRS on a food ordering and/or delivery website and/or app (for example, Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats), and 14% of respondents had come across the FHRS on the FSA’s website (Figure 3)    ^{(footnote 2)}. 

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 4

Most respondents in England (84%), Wales (91%) and Northern Ireland (90%) had come across the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme via a sticker in a food business (Figure 4)**. 

Recognition of the FHRS

When shown an image of the food hygiene rating sticker, almost 9 in 10 (88%) respondents reported that they had seen the food hygiene rating sticker before. Recognition of the food hygiene rating sticker was slightly lower in England (87%) than in Wales (95%) and Northern Ireland (94%)  ^{(footnote 3)} **.

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 4

Younger adults were more likely to have seen the food hygiene rating sticker than older adults. For example, 96% of respondents aged 16-24 years reported that they had seen the food hygiene rating sticker, compared to 60% of those aged 75 years and over (Figure 5).

Recognition of the food hygiene rating sticker also varied between the following types of people: 

• Annual household income: respondents with a higher income were more likely have seen the food hygiene rating sticker than those who had a lower income. For example, 95% of those with an income of £96,000 or above had seen the food hygiene rating sticker compared to 81% of those with an income of less than £19,000.   
• NS-SEC: respondents in some occupational groups for example, managerial, administrative and professional occupations (89%) and full-time students (97%) were more likely have seen the food hygiene rating sticker than those who were long term unemployed and/or never worked (76%).
• Responsibility for shopping: respondents who were responsible for food shopping (88%) were more likely to have seen the food hygiene rating sticker than those who never shop for food (76%). 

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 4

Respondents were asked where they had seen the food hygiene rating sticker in the last 12 months. Most respondents had seen the sticker in restaurants (81%), in cafés (71%), or in takeaways (66%) (Figure 6) ^{(footnote 4)}.

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 4

Most respondents had seen the food hygiene rating sticker in restaurants in England (80%), Wales (82%) and Northern Ireland (84%)**. Around 8 in 10 respondents in Wales (79%) and Northern Ireland (77%) had seen the food hygiene rating sticker in cafés compared to 70% of respondents in England**. Respondents in Wales (61%) and England (51%) were more likely to have seen the food hygiene rating sticker in pubs than those in Northern Ireland (40%) (Figure 7).