Food safety when eating out
40% referred to the hygiene certificate and just under a third referred to a hygiene sticker. As with W21 very few were using websites or social media.
| Information | W22 July 2026 | W21 December 2025 | W20 July 2025 | W19 December 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General appearance of premises | 59% | 57% | 57% | 56% |
| Reputation | 45% | 45% | 47% | 45% |
| Appearance of staff | 41% | 42% | 43% | 41% |
| Hygiene certificate | 40% | 39% | 38% | 38% |
| Word of mouth | 36% | 34% | 35% | 35% |
| Hygiene sticker | 29% | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| Social media | 16% | 15% | 15% | 13% |
| Websites | 15% | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| I don’t consciously do this | 13% | 13% | 14% | 14% |
| Don't know | 2% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
Over two fifths said they had used the food hygiene information scheme (FHIS) over the last few months, this has not changed since the last wave.
| Used FHIS | W22 July 2026 | W21 December 2025 | W20 July 2025 | W19 December 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 42% | 45% | 39% | 40% |
| No | 58% | 55% | 61% | 60% |
When asked, those who had used the FHIS scheme in the last few months, 89% claimed that it influenced their decision about using an establishment.
| Level of influence | W22 | W21 | W20 | W19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| It had a lot of influence | 50% | 47% | 50% | 50% |
| It had a little influence | 39% | 44% | 41% | 42% |
| It had no influence at all | 11% | 10% | 9% | 8% |
Those that were all more likely to use the scheme than their counterparts:
• age groups 16-34 (52%) and 35-64 (47%)
• those working (48%)
• those with children in the household (53%)
• those who had allergy (50%)
• heard of FSS (46%)
• those who receive help with their shopping (56%)
• those who find it difficult to eat a healthy balanced diet (46%)
• think nutritional/calorie information should be available (45%)