The Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s (FSAI) Food Safety Consultative Council is running a public consultation to gather views from consumers and food businesses in Ireland on a national food hygiene rating scheme. Food hygiene rating schemes are in operation in a number of countries and provide customers with signage that indicates the level of cleanliness and food safety standards of a food business based on official food safety inspections. The FSAI is calling on consumers and food businesses in Ireland to make their views known through an online consultation which will run until 23rd June 2025.

Food hygiene rating schemes are currently in operation for example in Northern Ireland, England and Wales (Scores on Doors), Denmark and France (Smiley Faces), and in some US states. They typically involve the public display of food safety inspection results as a number, letter or symbol on the food business’s window and/or website, aiming to increase transparency in the food chain, support consumer decision making and promote higher standards of hygiene across the food sector. This helps customers make informed choices about where they eat and purchase food from while encouraging businesses to maintain high food safety standards.

The results of the consultation will better inform the Food Safety Consultative Council’s understanding of consumers’ and food businesses’ opinions about a food hygiene rating scheme for Ireland. It will review how such a scheme might influence consumer decision-making, and what implications it could have for Irish food businesses such as restaurants, cafés, takeaways, hotels, supermarkets and shops. All responses are anonymous, and participants will also have the opportunity to express interest in taking part in possible focus groups or interviews in the future. Information gathered from the consultation will inform a comprehensive evaluation report, expected to be finalised in early 2026. The findings will support the FSAI in making an evidence-based recommendation to the Department of Health, which holds responsibility for national food safety policy in this area.