As a consumer who values transparency and safety, it's important to me that I know the hygiene standards and meat certification of the food establishments I choose to support. In today’s world, where food safety is a primary concern, the need for informed decision-making is more crucial than ever.

Why this petition is important
Consumers should be able to obtain clear and accurate information about a food business before deciding whether to enter the premises, place an order or spend their money there.

This petition calls on the Government to introduce legislation requiring all food businesses in England to prominently display their current official Food Hygiene Rating Scheme score at or near every customer entrance. The rating should be clearly visible and easily readable from outside before a customer enters.

Businesses that sell or serve meat should also be required to display a standardised notice stating whether the meat they provide is :

1) certified halal;
2) certified kosher;
3) neither halal nor kosher; or a combination of these categories.

The notice should separately state whether the animal was :

1) stunned before slaughter;
2) slaughtered without prior stunning; or
3) sourced from a combination of stunned and non-stunned production.

Halal or kosher status should not be treated as an automatic indication of the method of slaughter.

Religious certification and prior stunning are separate matters, and consumers should be given clear information about both.

Where a business sells or serves more than one category of meat, the relevant products and menu items should be individually identified. For example, if some meat is halal and some is neither halal nor kosher, or if some animals were stunned and others were not, this information should be displayed against the relevant products rather than through a vague general notice.

Businesses should be required to obtain and retain appropriate information from their suppliers or certifying organisations so that the statements displayed to customers are accurate, current and capable of verification.

The same requirements should apply to restaurants, cafés, takeaways, butchers, supermarkets, market stalls, mobile food traders, catering businesses, delivery-only kitchens and other businesses selling or serving meat to the public.

Businesses without a conventional customer entrance should prominently display the information at the point of sale, on their websites and on their principal online ordering pages. Third-party delivery platforms should also display the information alongside the business listing or menu.

Food hygiene ratings, religious meat certification and slaughter methods provide different types of information:

A food hygiene rating indicates the hygiene standards found during the business’s most recent official inspection.

Halal or kosher certification informs consumers whether meat has been prepared according to particular religious requirements.

Stunning information tells consumers whether the animal was rendered unconscious before slaughter.
Each disclosure allows consumers to make decisions according to their religious beliefs, ethical considerations, animal-welfare concerns, cultural practices, dietary requirements or personal preferences.

This proposal does not support or oppose halal, kosher or any other lawful food-production practice. Nor does it suggest that one type of meat is necessarily safer than another. Its purpose is to establish openness, consistency and informed consumer choice.

In England, businesses are encouraged—but are not presently legally required—to display their Food Hygiene Rating Scheme scores. This allows businesses with high ratings to display them voluntarily while businesses with lower ratings may choose not to do so.

Mandatory display would create a fairer and more consistent system for consumers and responsible businesses alike.

Clear and standardised displays would :

1) allow customers to make informed decisions before entering or ordering;
2) encourage businesses to maintain strong hygiene standards;
3) provide transparency about religious certification;
4) provide transparency about whether prior stunning was used;
5) reduce uncertainty and misunderstanding;
6) strengthen consumer confidence and create consistent rules for all food businesses.

Consumers should not have to enter a premises, study an entire menu or question members of staff to obtain basic information that could reasonably influence their purchasing decision.

Please support this petition calling for the mandatory, prominent and accurate display of food hygiene ratings, meat certification status and prior-stunning information throughout England.