Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to extend the requirement for food vendors to prominently display food hygiene ratings on their premises to online third party food ordering (a) websites and (b) apps at the point at which the customer orders food.

The Food Hygiene Rating scheme is operated by local authorities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in partnership with the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The scheme has a statutory basis in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Food businesses covered by the scheme are given stickers showing their rating. Those in Wales and Northern Ireland are required by law to display the stickers at their premises and those in England are encouraged to do so. The FSA considers that mandatory display should extend to England and is currently finalising an evidence-based case for a statutory scheme.

For businesses offering online ordering of food, legislation requiring provision of the rating at the point of choice is expected to be introduced in Northern Ireland once the Assembly is back in operation.

In Wales, the FSA and Welsh Government are working to address an FSA recommendation to the National Assembly for Wales to explore the introduction of a similar requirement for businesses in Wales that use online food ordering platforms. Proposals will be presented to Welsh Ministers in due course.

The FSA considers that provision of ratings online would be a key element of a statutory scheme for England.