GEODESIC BY DESIGN LTD

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) was launched in 2010 and helps consumers make informed decisions about where to eat or shop for food by providing information about hygiene standards found in businesses at the time of inspections by local authorities. The scheme has had a measurable impact. Since the scheme's launch the proportion of businesses achieving a top rating of 5 – very good has increased from 67% in 2017, to 76% in 2023. 44% of consumers check hygiene ratings before choosing where to eat or shop, and businesses with higher ratings also report positive impacts on customer trust and retention, with 56% of those in Wales and Northern Ireland saying display positively affected their business. A 2023 study estimated that mandatory display of hygiene ratings in England (as in Wales and Northern Ireland) could prevent 3,700 foodborne illness cases annually and save £15.7 million in healthcare and economic costs.

FHRS data is published under the Open Government Licence for public sector information and is provided in the form of downloadable XML.

The goal of this app is to improve the findability and accessibility of FHRS data under FAIR principles. The app is mobile friendly and is integrated into the GPS location function of a users device so that their location relative to the ratings data is easily determined. The app is comprehensive and includes the ratings of more than 600 thousand UK food retailers and establishments. The rating illustrative colour scale is based on the Viridis colour palette to ensure accessible for colour vision deficiency (CVD) users.