Whilst the majority of us deal with food on a day-to-day basis, few of us are actually aware of the protocols that are necessary when working in the food industry, especially in environments that require preparing food for the general public. Amongst those that considered mandatory display to be a good thing, the most common reasons were because it showed customers that the business cares about good hygiene and has high standards (Northern Ireland: 41%; Wales: 40%) and because it builds customer trust and confidence (Northern Ireland: 27%; Wales: 29%). Amongst the minority of businesses in Northern Ireland and Wales that did not consider mandatory display to be a good thing (i.e., neither good nor bad, or a bad thing), this was typically attributed to reservations around the efficacy of the FHRS. Their report found that customers would turn away from a 3-star rated business, but not one that was 5-star rated. Therefore, anyone selling or supplying food should strive for the highest possible rating, which is achievable for all types of businesses.

If you serve or supply food direct to the public, you may be covered by the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. It is not compulsory for you to have a food hygiene certificate, but if you are looking to start a food business, we recommend that you pursue a food hygiene qualification to improve your knowledge. There are two groups of exempt businesses which are inspected by the local authority food safety officer but are not given a food hygiene rating: It is very important to store food properly to keep it safe, to protect it from harmful bacteria, chemicals and objects falling into food. You'll need to store different types of food by storing in:

Appeals 

C12. How do you feel generally about the legal requirement to display your Food Hygiene Rating at your premises? Base: FBOs in Wales/NI (Northern Ireland: 475, Wales: 462). ↑ Denotes a significant increase from 2019. many participants supported using a reduced inspection regime as an incentive to recognise compliant businesses and encourage them to maintain high standards. There was also more openness to the idea of using remote inspections in this context, allowing physical inspections to be reduced, but not replaced. This also applies to any additives, or any other items present in the final product, such as garnishes or cake decorations. views were mixed on this potential change. Some participants felt this would reduce costs and enable a focus on other higher risk businesses. However, other participants raised concerns about poor performing premises benefitting from an overall rating that did not reflect their practices. This protects customers with a food allergy. We have further guidance available on how to provide allergen information in food delivery.

However, fewer than half of food businesses in England, Northern Ireland and Wales felt that food businesses should be required to publicise their food hygiene rating on their social media accounts (England: 43%; Northern Ireland: 46%; Wales: 48%). To get the highest score, businesses must handle food properly, display physical cleanliness which includes the layout of the kitchen, ventilation, cleanliness and effective pest control measures, and they must also be managing how they keep food safe with training and internal systems. 4 - Hygiene standards are good It is important for food businesses to take steps to avoid cross-contamination in food preparation.

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Most people would wish to avoid purchasing and eating food from a business where there is a risk of food poisoning and other food safety-related harm. But, how do we, as consumers, avoid those with poor food safety and hygiene standards? One way is to look for a business’s food hygiene rating or score. businesses that are low-risk to public health, for example, newsagents, chemist shops or visitor centres selling pre-wrapped goods that do not require refrigeration