Food Standards Agency to raise lies found by BBC investigation

Prof Chris Elliott, the CIEH’s vice-president, said: “The BBC investigation was shocking.

“We can’t have a situation where people are falsifying the ratings and giving consumers a feeling of trust that’s actually not deserved.

“I think it’s now really important it becomes compulsory for all food businesses right across the UK to display those ratings,” he said.

“I think it’s also really important that what is displayed is checked by local authorities, making sure that they are actually displaying the correct ratings.”

The CIEH has previously called for the introduction of a statutory food hygiene rating scheme in England.

According to its own research, more than four in five businesses in England support the introduction of mandatory display of food hygiene ratings.

The deception exposed by the BBC ranged from outdated stickers to outright lies when staff in some establishments were questioned about their hygiene scores.