Renewed call to make ‘scores on the doors’ mandatory in England

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has reiterated a call to force businesses to display food hygiene ratings in England.

 

Just over half (55%) of food businesses in England display their hygiene score, in contrast to 89% of businesses in Wales and 87% of those in Northern Ireland, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

 

Displaying hygiene ratings became compulsory in Wales in November 2013. The requirement was extended to Northern Ireland in October 2016.

 

The FSA said it was “fully committed” to introducing a mandatory scheme in England and that it was working with the government on the issue.

 

Jesse Williams, head of the food hygiene ratings scheme at the FSA, told The Caterer: “Last December we submitted a revised evidence case to the department for health and social care for a statutory scheme in England with mandatory display of ratings at food business premises and online.

 

“We are pleased to say that we received a positive response, and we are now working closely with the department to determine how this may be progressed.

 

“The final decision on whether and when to introduce any legislation rests with ministers, not the FSA.”

 

It comes after the FSA’s most recent survey of UK consumer attitudes to mandatory displays of hygiene ratings showed that 85% of respondents in England would support the scheme.

 

However, the CIEH is concerned local authorities in England lack the resources to enforce such a scheme.

 

Statistics from the National Audit Office revealed that between 2012/13 and 2017/18, local authority spending on food hygiene dropped from £125m to £101m.

 

In 2019/20, local authorities in England had 2.9 food hygiene officers per 1,000 food establishments compared with 5.5 in Wales and 4.3 in Northern Ireland.

 

According to the CIEH Workforce survey, 70% of local authorities in England did not have a single environmental health apprentice between 2018-20.

 

Kate Thompson, director of CIEH Wales said: “Transparency when it comes to food hygiene helps to drive up standards and this has certainly been the experience of the schemes in Wales and Northern Ireland.

 

“We know from the latest available published data that local authorities in England did not have the equivalent level of resources for this work as those in the devolved nations.

 

“A mandatory scheme in England would need to be adequately resourced to ensure both its credibility and sustainability. There would also need to be investment to top-up training and ensure consistency in delivery of the scheme across England.”

 

Image: navorolphotography / Shutterstock