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English Cymraeg
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) Food and You 2: Wave 6

Food and You 2 FHRS Wave 6: Chapter 3 - Use of the FHRS in decision making

This chapter provides an overview of how people use the FHRS when deciding where to eat out or buy food. 

Last updated: 22 November 2023
Last updated: 22 November 2023

Acceptable food hygiene ratings

Figure 13. Willingness to eat at a restaurant or takeaway with food hygiene ratings below 5.

A bar chart showing the percentage of respondents who would be willing to eat at a restaurant or takeaway with food hygiene ratings below 5 (very good).
Awaiting inspection - England, Northern Ireland Rating awaited - Wales 0 - urgent improvement necessary 1 - major improvement necessary
Still eat at the restaurant / takeaway 35 41 2 3
Not eat at the restaurant / takeaway 43 36 95 93
Don't know 21 23 4 4

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Source: Food & You 2: Wave 6

Respondents were asked to consider whether they would still eat or order food from a restaurant or takeaway if on arrival they saw a food hygiene rating sticker at each food hygiene rating lower than the maximum rating of 5 (very good). Most respondents said they would still eat at a restaurant or takeaway if they saw a food hygiene rating sticker with a rating of 4 (good) (93%) or 3 (generally satisfactory) (59%). However, most respondents reported that they would not eat at a restaurant or takeaway if they saw a food hygiene rating sticker with a rating of 2 (improvement necessary) (82%), 1 (major improvement necessary) (93%) or 0 (urgent improvement necessary) (95%) (Figure 13) (footnote 1)

Respondents were asked what they would usually consider the lowest acceptable food hygiene rating when considering buying food from somewhere. 8% of respondents would only consider a rating of 5 acceptable while most respondents said that a rating of 3 (39%) or 4 (42%) was the lowest rating they would consider acceptable. A minority of respondents considered a rating of 0 (1%), 1 (1%) or 2 (4%) to be acceptable (footnote 2)

Situations which impact acceptable food hygiene ratings

Figure 14. Willingness to buy food from a business with a food hygiene rating which is lower than their lowest acceptable rating.

A bar chart showing the percentage of respondents who would be willing to buy food from a food business with a food hygiene rating which is lower that their lowest acceptable rating.
1- major improvement necessary 2 - improvement necessary 3 - generally satisfactory 4 - good
Yes 33 52 21 21
No 67 44 69 68
Dont know 0 4 11 11

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Source: Food & You 2: Wave 6

Respondents were asked if they could think of a situation where they might decide to buy food from a business with a rating lower than their usual lowest acceptable rating. Across all ratings, around two-thirds (67%) of respondents could not think of a situation in which they might decide to buy food from a food business with a lower rating, while 23% could think of a situation (Figure 14) (footnote 3)

Figure 15. Situations where respondents might buy food from a food business with a food hygiene rating lower than their usual lowest acceptable rating.

A bar chart showing the situations where respondents might buy food from a food business with a food hygiene rating which is lower that their usual lowest acceptable rating.
Situations Percentage of respondents (%)
I was taking food away rather than eating in 8
Served a particular type of food 11
Assume it is safe if it is still open/running 12
It was part of a chain I knew 15
I was in an unfamiliar location 15
Someone else chose the food business 19
I enjoyed the taste of the food 20
The place had been recommended to me 27
Didn't have much money / cheap 27
I was out late at night 31
I knew the food was of high quality 34
I needed to pick something up quickly 37
There wasn't much choice of places to go 50
I had eaten food from there before 50

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Source: Food & You 2: Wave 6

Respondents who could think of a situation where they might buy food from a food business with a rating lower than what they would usually consider acceptable were asked what, from a given list, that situation would be. The most common situations were if they had eaten food from there before (50%), if there wasn’t much choice of places to go (50%), if they needed to pick something up quickly (37%), or if they knew the food was of high quality (34%) (Figure 15) (footnote 4).

Figure 16. Willingness to buy food from a business with a food hygiene rating which is higher than their usual lowest acceptable rating.

A bar chart showing the percentage of respondents who would buy food from a food business with a food hygiene rating which is higher that their usual lowest acceptable rating.
0- urgent improvement necessary 1- major improvement necessary 2 - improvement necessary 3 - generally satisfactory
Yes 32 56 44 65
No 62 17 46 21
Dont know 7 27 9 14

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Source: Food & You 2: Wave 6

Respondents were asked if they could think of an occasion in which they would only buy food from a business with a rating which is higher than their usual lowest acceptable rating. 

Overall, most respondents (61%) could think of a situation in which this would apply, and 25% of respondents could not. Most respondents who considered a rating of 2 (improvement necessary) (66%), 3 (generally satisfactory) (66%), or 4 (good) (64%) as generally acceptable could think of a situation in which they would only buy food from a food business with a higher rating (Figure 16) (footnote 5)

Figure 17. Occasions where respondents would only buy food from a business with a food hygiene rating which is higher than the rating usually considered acceptable. 

A bar chart showing the situations where respondents might buy food from a food business with a food hygiene rating which is higher that their usual lowest acceptable rating.
Occasion Percentage of respondents (%)
Other 6
When it was part of a chain 13
Want to go somewhere expensive 19
With young children 38
With older people 39
Special health issues 40
When in an unfamiliar location 41
With particular people/family members 45
A special occasion 53

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Source: Food & You 2: Wave 6

Respondents who could think of an occasion where they would only buy food from a business with a rating higher than what they would usually consider acceptable were asked what, from a given list, that occasion would be. The most common occasions were special occasions (53%), when with particular people or family members (45%), when in an unfamiliar location (e.g., away with work or on holiday) (41%), or when the respondent or someone else had special health issues (e.g., illness or pregnancy) (40%) (Figure 17) (footnote 6).

Impact of FHRS rating stickers on behaviours and perception

Respondents were asked if a food business did not have the food hygiene rating sticker present at the entrance to what extent, if at all, it would affect their decision to eat there. Of those who had heard of the FHRS, 58% would be less likely (i.e., ‘much less likely’ or ‘a little less likely’) to eat at a food business that did not have the food hygiene rating sticker present at the entrance. However, 29% of respondents reported that it would not make them any less likely to eat there. 13% of respondents reported that they didn’t know what effect a business not displaying their rating would have on their decision to eat there.

A higher proportion of respondents living in Wales (68%) reported being less likely to eat at a food business which did not have the food hygiene rating sticker present at the entrance compared to those in England (57%). Over 6 in 10 (64%) respondents in Northern Ireland would be less likely to eat at a food business which did not have the food hygiene rating sticker present at the entrance** (footnote 7).

Respondents who had heard of the FHRS were also asked if, in the last 12 months, they had decided against using a food business because it did not display its food hygiene rating sticker. 18% reported that they had decided against using a food business because it did not display its food hygiene rating sticker, while 63% had not done this. However, 19% of respondents reported that they did not know or couldn’t remember if they had decided against using a food business because it did not display its Food Hygiene Rating Scheme sticker (footnote 8).

Concerns about food businesses not displaying an FHRS rating

Figure 18. Concerns respondents would have if a food business did not display their food hygiene rating sticker at the premises.

A bar chart showing the concerns which respondent would have if a food business did not display their food hygiene rating sticker on the premises.
Concern Percentage of respondents (%)
I would not be concerned 4
I would not notice the missing sticker 27
Business doesn't meet legal requirements 39
Whether the business has been inspected by the relevant authorities 42
Safety of eating at the business 44
Higher risk of food poisoning/illness/infection 44
Business had a low/poor food hygiene rating and was trying to hide it 48
Business had poor hygiene standards 49

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Source: Food & You 2: Wave 6

Respondents were asked what concerns they would have if they visited a food business that did not display its food hygiene rating sticker on the premises. The most common concerns were that the food business had poor hygiene standards (49%) and that the food business had a poor or low food hygiene rating and was trying to hide it (48%). 

Respondents in Wales were more likely to be concerned that the food business had poor hygiene standards (60%), had a low/poor Food Hygiene Rating and was trying to hide it (58%), and that the food business doesn’t meet legal requirements (49%) than respondents in England (48% concerned about poor hygiene standards, 47% concerned about a low/poor Food Hygiene Rating, and 38% concerned that the business doesn’t meet legal requirements). Respondents in Wales were also more likely to be concerned as to whether the food business had been inspected by the relevant authority (54%) than respondents in England (41%) and Northern Ireland (42%). 

Over a quarter (27%) of respondents would not notice the food hygiene rating sticker was missing and 4% would not be concerned about anything if the sticker was not displayed (Figure 18) (footnote 9). Respondents in England (28%) were more likely to report that they would not notice if the sticker was missing than respondents in Wales (16%). In Northern Ireland (23%)** reported that they would not notice if the sticker was missing than respondents in Wales.