Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Online Display in Wales: Research report
Food Hygiene Rating Scheme Online Display in Wales: Executive summary
Wales specific
This report explores consumer expectations around the online display of Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme ratings and intends to inform the development of best practice.
- Online is increasingly one of the main channels through which consumers interact with food businesses – and research and purchase journeys will often involve multiple channels (online, face-to-face, telephone). It can feel inconsistent that businesses are required to display FHRS ratings on their premises but not online. Indeed, Consumers could see no reason for a distinction between the information available at the physical premises to those online particularly given the increasing role of online food purchase.
- Consumers are already quite confident navigating the online landscape when it comes to researching and selecting restaurants and takeaways. They are accustomed to making the most of the information available online to make decisions around food. and are not necessarily demanding additional help.
- A range of criteria (including reviews; word of mouth) is used to help inform choices and decisions around food and hygiene in particular – but this information is vague, haphazard and unreliable. There is a lack of reliable, credible information about food hygiene in the online space. As many regard the FHRS as independent and credible there is some feeling that it would give online sites a “legitimacy” reviews and recommendations do not.
- Consumers make quick, off-the-cuff decisions when it comes to selecting and researching food. While they are familiar with and will make (at a glance) use of FHRS ratings on businesses’ physical premises, they are not actively seeking these out online where accessing ratings is currently a more involved process requiring navigation to another website.
- Consumers strongly support mandated FHRS online display and believe it would both help them make better decisions about food and encourage greater compliance by FBOs. FHRS ratings on FBO websites (and other online resources, like food aggregators) would be a useful addition to consumers’ repertoire of information. Consumers also feel FHRS online would have a positive impact on FBOs from a consumer perspective by making them more compliant.
- Consumers feel it is important that the ratings displayed online are trustworthy, as well as quick and easy to access. Consumers feel that FHRS ratings should be displayed as prominently online as they are on premises i.e. on the landing page. There is also a call for safeguards to be put in place to ensure FBOs can’t display ‘fake’ ratings.