Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will take steps to improve consumer access to food hygiene ratings through online food ordering platforms.

The Food Standards Agency is working with businesses in England and Wales offering online ordering to encourage the online publication of ratings. The display of ratings online is currently on a voluntary basis so ultimately it will be for each business to decide whether or not to display the ratings.

The Food Hygiene Rating Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 requires for any food business which supplies consumers with food, which they order by means of an online facility, to ensure that establishment’s food hygiene rating is provided online.

The draft ‘Food Hygiene Rating (Online Display) Regulations (Northern Ireland)’ are currently in development and it is envisaged that a public consultation will be launched in December 2016.