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Food Hygiene Ratings Are Still Hard to Find Online, New FSA Audit Finds
A new Food Standards Agency audit finds that most food businesses have an online presence, but very few publish their official hygiene rating there.
Food hygiene ratings are widely recognised by food businesses, but they are still surprisingly difficult to find online. The Food Standards Agency’s latest audit of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) found that most businesses use Facebook, Instagram or their own website, while only a small minority publish their official hygiene rating on those channels.
The research matters to anyone choosing a takeaway, restaurant, café, hotel or food shop from a phone. A polished social feed can show what a business serves, where it is and how to place an order, but it may not show the public inspection result designed to help customers make an informed choice. The FSA’s 2025 Food Hygiene Rating Scheme audit gives a useful snapshot of that gap across England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Online presence is common; rating display is not
The study combined 1,336 covert audits with telephone interviews involving 1,350 food businesses. Auditors checked premises and, where available, the business website, Facebook Business Page and Instagram profile. The research also asked businesses about their awareness of the scheme and their views on displaying ratings.
Online activity was widespread. Among the audited businesses, 68% in England, 70% in Northern Ireland and 70% in Wales had a Facebook presence. Instagram was used by 47% of businesses in England, 43% in Northern Ireland and 38% in Wales. Their own websites were also common, with figures of 56%, 44% and 48% respectively.
Official rating display was much less common. Among businesses with a presence on each platform, only 9% in England, 2% in Northern Ireland and 8% in Wales displayed their rating on their website. Facebook display reached just 2%, 3% and 4%, while Instagram display was 0%, 1% and 3%. The figures remained low even when a business accepted online orders.
That result does not mean that online food businesses are unsafe. It means that the rating is often missing from the places where customers now make decisions. The FHRS rating is an inspection snapshot covering hygienic food handling, the condition of the premises and facilities, and food safety management. It is not a customer review, a taste score or a guarantee about every dish served.
Physical stickers tell a more complicated story
At the premises themselves, auditors found an FHRS sticker visible inside or from outside at 70% of businesses in England, compared with 92% in Northern Ireland and 95% in Wales. The difference reflects the legal framework: prominent physical display is required in Northern Ireland and Wales, while businesses in England are encouraged to display their rating but are not legally required to do so.
When a sticker was displayed, it usually matched the current rating in the FHRS database. The audit found a match in 95% of displaying businesses in each country. However, a separate targeted audit of 413 England businesses rated between 0 and 2 found a sharper warning about outdated information: only one of the 71 businesses displaying a sticker showed a valid current rating. Most of the others appeared to be showing a rating from an earlier inspection.
This targeted result should be read carefully. It was designed to examine lower-rated businesses and is not an estimate of all food businesses in England. It does, however, show why a sticker should be treated as useful evidence rather than the final word when it looks old, damaged or inconsistent with the listing online.
How to check before you order
For a current result, search the FSA’s official Food Hygiene Rating Scheme lookup rather than relying only on a restaurant’s website, social profile or a photograph of a sticker. Search the business name and address, because similar names can appear in different locations.
Next, check that the listing matches the place you intend to visit or the outlet preparing your delivery. A group may operate several kitchens or branches, and the rating applies to the inspected establishment. If the business has no visible online rating, that absence is a reason to check the official database, not a rating in itself.
Finally, use the score in context. A rating of 5 means very good food hygiene standards at the last inspection, while a low score signals that improvement was needed at that inspection. The score does not measure food quality or service, and a recent change at a business may not yet be reflected until another inspection. If a rating or sticker appears out of date, the local authority or the business can provide the relevant context.
A strong case for clearer online information
Businesses themselves appear to recognise the value of transparency. The survey found support for mandatory online display on at least one of the platforms covered by the research among 95% of businesses in England, 96% in Northern Ireland and 95% in Wales. In England, 86% also said mandatory physical display would be a good thing.
For now, the practical lesson is straightforward: use social media and delivery pages to understand what a business offers, then use the official FHRS lookup to check its latest hygiene rating. The FSA audit shows that these two pieces of information are still rarely presented together, so customers may need to join the dots themselves.