We’ve all spotted them – the hygiene rating stickers displayed in the windows of restaurants, takeaways, and other small businesses where food is prepared on-site. These little green signs represent a score out of five given by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) after inspections by food safety officers.
Ranging from zero, indicating urgent improvement is required, to five, classifying a business as ‘very good’, these ratings often play a crucial role in helping customers decide where to dine. The design of these stickers was the brainchild of Shahnaz Ahmed who recently took to TikTok to share the “tiny design decisions” she incorporated and “hid” within the concept. Shahnaz, 41, posed a question to her followers: “Have you ever noticed these tiny design decisions I made in the Food Hygiene stickers?”
She expanded on this with a series of photos of the stickers, saying: “I designed the Food Hygiene Rating stickers 16 years ago, and they haven’t been updated since. Good design isn’t about what people notice. It’s about what just feels right.
“Every pixel, colour, and spacing decision adds up: some for the viewer, some just for the quiet joy of the designer. Have you ever noticed these tiny design decisions I made all those years ago?”
Shahnaz started by pointing out that upon closer examination, the letter ‘i’ in both ‘hygiene’ and ‘rating’ were actually a knife and fork respectively, inspired by the FSA logo. “Why?” she asked. “Why not. A little bit of joy for your everyday.”
Next, she detailed how she added a translucent “sheen” on the numbers to make them appear like buttons you can press. “Why? Because ratings can change with each inspection, so lower ratings could ‘press’ their way up to a five… or press their way down,” Shahnaz explained.
She further noted: “Side note: the translucent ‘sheen’ on the buttons is sometimes printed too strongly, but it didn’t look like this in my original design file. So if this bothers you, it is not my fault.”
Shahnaz went on to reveal that the angle of the black triangle pointing down to the number rating is taken from the ‘y’ of ‘hygiene’ above. She queried: “Why?” she asked again. “It was there for the taking. And every good design uses consistency where possible.”
One TikTok user responded with praise, saying: “I’d noticed the knife and fork, but love this post. It’s one of those things that’s so iconic now, like Margaret Calvert’s road signs, that you don’t even consider how it’s put together, because it just works so well! Congratulations on doing it!”
Another person said: “Never noticed them before. But a reel of us replacing our five star rating with a new five star rating went viral with nearly a million views and so many people discussed seeing your recent reel.”
A third person commented: “You did that? That’s brilliant. I always thought these were a great lesson in conveying important information in a clear, easy to understand way. Their longevity shows how effective they have been.”
The Government’s Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme website further advises online: “Ratings are a snapshot of the standards of food hygiene found at the time of inspection. It is the responsibility of the business to comply with food hygiene law at all times.”
This includes:
- handling of food
- how food is stored
- how food is prepared
- cleanliness of facilities
- how food safety is managed
The food hygiene rating scheme does not provide information on the following factors:
- quality of the food
- customer service
- culinary skill
- presentation
- comfort
It adds: “To get the top rating, businesses must do well in all three elements which are referenced above. If the top rating is not given, the officer will explain to the business the necessary actions they can take to improve their hygiene rating.”
In Wales and Northern Ireland, businesses are required by law to display their hygiene rating. This is not a legal requirement in England and Scotland.
