LONDON, July 29 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:

Thelatest wave oftheSmall and MicroFood Business Operators (FBOs)Tracking Survey,published today,shows that trust in the FSA'score missionremainshigh.

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Among those who know about the FSA, nine in ten smalland microfood businessessaidtheytrust theagencytomaintainand improve food safety standards.

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Nearly allsmalland microbusinessessellingfood as ameal oratakeawaysaidtheyprovide allergen information to customers.

Food safety practices and allergen information

The reportpaints a positive picture across the sector. Mostsmall and micro food businesses feltwell informed about the regulations that affectedthem (88%)andalmost all said they wereconfident that food safety regulations are effective at protecting the public (96%) andare reasonable and practical (88%).

Provision of allergen information alsoremainshigh, with 98% of businesses that sell food as a meal or takeaway, or packaged at point of sale, saying they provide allergen information to customers. Two-thirds (66%) had used the FSA's tools for non-prepacked food, with almost half using an allergen poster.

Trust in the FSA's core mission

Nine in ten businesses (91%) said they trust the FSA to work hard to ensure that food safety and regulations aremaintainedand improved, while 85% said the FSA is good atidentifyingwhere poor standards exist and takingappropriate action.Both figuresremainwell above typical benchmarks for public sector trust.

While these figuresremainhigh, they have decreased from 94% and 90%, respectively,fromtheprevioustracking survey.

The proportion of businesses saying they know"a lot" about the FSAalso dropped from32% to 24%, and trust in how the FSA uses information provided by businesses fell from 94% to 87%. TheFSA will nowlookat improvingits engagement and communications with small and micro businesses.

Continued pressure on food businesses

The surveyalso highlights the challenging environmentthatmany smaller food businesses are operating in. Two-thirds(67%)said changes in customer behaviourlinked to the cost-of-living situationwerea concern, whilepressures around inflation, energy costs andrecruitment remainedsignificant, though slightly reduced compared with2023.

Professor Rick Mumford, Deputy Director of Science and Research at the FSA, said:

Wave 5 of our tracking research shows that small and micro food businesses across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland remain strongly committed to food safety and that trust in the FSA's fundamental mission is high.

Businesses are training their staff, managing allergens well, and engaging with our guidance while facing significant challenges and economic pressures.

We take the decline in some confidence measuresseriously andsee it as a clear guide for where toconcentrateour communications and engagement work. This is precisely thereasonwhywe carry out long-term tracking research.

Notes to Editors:

* Small food businessessurveyed had10-49employees. * Microfood businessessurveyed hadfewer than 10employees. * 700small and microfood businesses were surveyedfromacross England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. * Fieldwork was carried out between September and November 2025.

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.