Frequently asked questions about food hygiene ratings

The scheme helps you choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving you information about the hygiene standards in restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels and other places you eat, as well as supermarkets and other food shops.

The scheme also encourages businesses to improve hygiene standards.

The scheme is run by local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in partnership with the Food Standards Agency.

Local authorities are responsible for carrying out inspections of food businesses to check that they meet the requirements of food hygiene law.

The Agency is the UK government department responsible for food safety. It gives local authorities advice, training, and other support to help them run the scheme.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is a ‘national scheme’ run in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A similar scheme is run in Scotland.

Each local authority can choose whether it wants to take part or not but numbers are increasing all the time. The scheme is now running in all areas of Wales and in many areas of England and Northern Ireland. Some local authorities are still running their own 'local schemes'.

The Agency is working with local authorities to encourage as many of them as possible to run the ‘national scheme’ so you can compare hygiene ratings of food businesses in your local area and further away from home.

A different scheme called the ‘Food Hygiene Information Scheme’ is run in Scotland. When this scheme was tried out and tested in Scotland, the public, food businesses and local authorities in that country said they wanted the scheme to continue there.

You can search for the inspection results of businesses in Scotland and read more about the scheme run in Scotland.

Ratings are given to places where you can eat out such as restaurants, takeaways, cafés, sandwich shops, pubs, and hotels. Ratings are also given to schools, hospitals and residential care homes.

Places where you shop for food such as supermarkets, bakeries, and delicatessens are also given a rating.

Not all businesses in these groups are given a rating. This is because some businesses, for example a newsagent selling sweets, are a low risk to people’s health so are not included in the scheme. These businesses are said to be ‘exempt’ from the scheme.

A food safety officer inspects a business to check that it meets the requirements of food hygiene law. The officer is from the local authority where the business is located.

At the inspection, the officer will check:

• how hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored
• the condition of the structure of the buildings – the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities
• how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe

The hygiene standards found at the time of inspection are then rated on a scale. At the bottom of the scale is ‘0’ – this means urgent improvement is required. At the top of the scale is ‘5’ – this means the hygiene standards are very good.

The rating given shows how well the business does overall. The business may do better in some areas and less well in others and the rating takes this into account. This includes those areas that need improving the most.

The officer will explain to the person who owns or manages the business what improvements need to be made and what action they can take to improve their hygiene rating.

The food hygiene rating reflects the hygiene standards found on the date of inspection by a food safety officer from the business’s local authority.

A business can be given one of these ratings:

The hygiene standards found at the time of inspection are rated on a scale. At the bottom of the scale is ‘0’ – this means urgent improvement is required. At the top of the scale is ‘5’ – this means the hygiene standards are very good.

A rating shows you how well the business is meeting the requirements of food hygiene law. It gives you an idea of what’s going on in the kitchen, or behind closed doors, so you can choose where you eat or buy food.

Yes. More detailed information will be included in the food safety officer’s inspection report. If you want to see this you could make a ‘Freedom of Information’ request to the local authority that carried out the inspection. You can find the local authority’s contact details by searching this website for the business and then clicking on the name of the business. Alternatively, you can search here for the local authority by entering the postcode for the business.

A new rating is given each time the business is inspected by a food safety officer from the local authority where the business is located.

How often inspections take place depends on the risk to people’s health. The greater the risk, the more often the business is inspected.

If the business owner or manager makes improvements to hygiene standards, the business can ask its local authority for a visit to be carried out before the date of the next planned inspection. This means these improvements can be checked and a new rating could be given.

Businesses given ratings of ‘0’ or ‘1’ must make urgent or major improvements to hygiene standards. The local authority food safety officer will use a number of enforcement tools as well as giving advice and guidance to make sure these improvements are made.

If the officer finds that a business’s hygiene standards are very poor and there is an imminent risk to health – this means food is not safe to eat – the officer must take action to make sure that consumers are protected. This could mean prohibiting part of an operation or closing the business down.

If a takeaway or other food business has been given a rating, you can search for it here.

When you eat out or shop for food, you might see a sticker in the window or on the door, or a certificate on display, showing you the hygiene rating for that business. Businesses are encouraged to display these stickers and certificates in a place where you can easily see them when you visit.

These stickers and certificates will also show the date the hygiene standards were assessed by the local authority’s food safety officer.

If you don’t see the rating at a takeaway or other food business, you can ask a member of staff if the business is in the scheme and what rating was given at the last inspection.

No, so if you see a business without a hygiene rating sticker or certificate, you’ll have to decide if you want to eat or buy food from there without knowing the hygiene standards.

Putting a hygiene rating on show is a good advertisement for businesses that meet the requirements of food hygiene law.

A good food hygiene rating is good for business.

If a new business has been set up, or there is a new owner, it will not have a food hygiene rating to begin with but it may display a sticker or certificate that says ‘Awaiting Inspection’. A rating will be given after a local authority food safety officer has inspected the business to check the hygiene standards.

Two groups of business where you might eat or buy food are not given food hygiene ratings – these are ‘exempt’. Exempt businesses are inspected by a local authority food safety officer but they are not given a rating.

The two groups of exempt businesses are:

• businesses that are a low-risk to people’s health in terms of food safety and that you perhaps wouldn’t normally think of as a food business – for example, newsagents, chemist shops or visitor centres selling tins of biscuits
• childminders and businesses that offer caring services at home

These types of business can ask to receive a food hygiene rating if they wish but only details of those in the first group will be published on the website but those in the second group can share their rating with parents and others using their services.

The owner or manager of the business should talk to the local authority food safety officer that inspected the business about why the rating was given.

If the business owner or manager still thinks that the rating is unfair or wrong, they can appeal in writing. To appeal, any food business can download an appeal form and send it to their local authority’s lead officer for food within 14 days (this includes weekends and public holidays) of being told what their rating is.

Read more information about the appeal process.

The owner or manager of the business also has a ‘right to reply’. This is different from an appeal. The owner or manager can download a right to reply form and send it to their local authority to tell the food safety officer how the business has improved hygiene, or to say if there were unusual circumstances at the time of the inspection. A business’s right to reply will be published online by the local authority with the business’s hygiene rating.

Read more information about the right to reply.

Yes, but only if the improvements to hygiene that the local authority food safety officer told the business about at the last inspection have been made.

The owner or manager of the food business can only ask the local authority for a re-visit to be carried out once before the date of the next planned inspection.

To ask for a re-visit, any food business can download a re-visit form and send it to their local authority. A business can search for its local authority here.

Read more information about how businesses can ask for a re-visit.

You should contact the local authority that gave the rating. The name of the local authority and its contact details can be found if you search for the business here.

The local authority details are also on any certificate or the on back of any sticker on show at the shop.

Yes, we’re interested to know what you think.

You can contact us by emailing hygieneratings@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk or by calling 020 7276 8445.

If you want to write to us, please send your letter to:

Food Hygiene Ratings Team
Aviation House
125 Kingsway
London WC2B 6HN

The scheme helps you choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving you information about the hygiene standards in restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels and other places you eat, as well as supermarkets and other food shops.

The scheme also encourages businesses to improve if they have fallen short of meeting requirements of food hygiene law.

The scheme is run by local authorities in Scotland in partnership with the Food Standards Agency.

Local authorities are responsible for carrying out inspections of food businesses to check that they meet the requirements of food hygiene law.

The Agency is the UK government department responsible for food safety. It gives local authorities advice, training, and other support to help them run the scheme.

The Food Hygiene Information Scheme is being rolled out in Scotland. A similar scheme is run in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

All Scottish local authorities have committed to adopt the Food Hygiene Information Scheme. You can find out which local authorities have already launched on this website. You can find out which local authorities have already launched on this website.

When the Food Hygiene Information Scheme was tried out and tested in Scotland, the public, food businesses and local authorities said they wanted the scheme to continue there.

Inspection results are given to places where you can eat out such as restaurants, takeaways, cafés, sandwich shops, pubs, and hotels. Inspection results are also given to schools, hospitals and residential care homes.

Places where you shop for food such as supermarkets, bakeries, and delicatessens are also given an inspection result.

However, there are some places where you may eat out or shop that are not given an inspection result. This is because some businesses such as a newsagent selling sweets or visitor centres selling tins of biscuits are a low risk to people’s health so are not included in the scheme. These businesses are said to be ‘exempt’ from the scheme.

Local authority enforcement officers are responsible for inspecting food businesses to check that they meet the requirements of food hygiene law. These requirements include the hygiene conditions and the management procedures in place for providing safe food.

The inspection result given as part of the Food Hygiene Information Scheme is either a ‘Pass’ or ‘Improvement Required’.

The officer will explain to the person who owns or manages the business what improvements need to be made and how they can achieve hygiene standards that meet legal requirements.

The food hygiene inspection result reflects the hygiene standards found at the time of inspection by an enforcement officer from the business’s local authority.

A business can be given one of these two inspection results:

• ‘Pass’ – this means that the business has achieved an acceptable level of compliance with food hygiene law.
• ‘Improvement Required’ – this means the business has not achieved an acceptable level of compliance with food hygiene law.

An inspection result gives you an idea of what’s going on in the kitchen, or behind closed doors, so you can choose where you eat or buy food.

The Eat Safe scheme is separate to the Food Hygiene Information Scheme but compatible with it. Food businesses can apply and, if their hygiene standards are better than those required by law, they will receive the award.

You can search the Eat Safe website to see which restaurants, food shops and other places have an Eat Safe Award.

A new inspection result is given each time the business is inspected by an enforcement officer from the business’s local authority as part of the authority’s planned inspection programme.

How often inspections take place depends on an assessment of risk to public health if things were to go wrong. The greater the assessed risk, the more often the business is inspected.

If the business’s inspection result is ‘Improvement Required’, the owner or manager can address the outstanding issues and then ask its local authority for a visit to be carried out before the date of the next planned inspection. This means hygiene standards can be reassessed and a ‘Pass’ given, if appropriate.

Businesses with very poor hygiene standards must act on any identified issues requiring urgent or major improvements. The local authority enforcement officer will take appropriate enforcement action as well as giving advice and guidance to make sure these improvements are made.

If the officer finds that a business’s hygiene standards are very poor and there is an imminent risk to health – this means food may not be safe to eat – the officer must take action to ensure that consumers are protected. This could mean prohibiting part of an operation or closing the business down.

If a takeaway or other food business has been given an inspection result, you can search for it here.

When you eat out or shop for food, you might see a sticker in the window or on the door, or a certificate on display, showing you the inspection result for that business. Businesses are encouraged to display these stickers and certificates in a place where you can easily see them when you visit.

If you are at a takeaway or other food business and you don’t see the inspection result you can ask a member of staff what inspection result was given at the last inspection.

No, so if you see a business without a sticker or certificate, you’ll have to decide if you want to eat or buy food from there without knowing the hygiene standards.

Putting an inspection result on show is a good advertisement for businesses that meet the requirements of food hygiene law.

A good food hygiene inspection result is good for business.

If a new business has been set up, or there is a new owner, it will not have a food hygiene inspection result to begin with but it may display a sticker or certificate that says ‘Awaiting Inspection’. An inspection result will be given after a local authority enforcement officer has inspected the business to check the hygiene standards.

There are two groups of business where you might eat out or buy food that are not given food hygiene inspection results – these are ‘exempt. Exempt businesses are inspected by a local authority enforcement officer but are not given an inspection result.

The two groups of exempt businesses are:

• businesses that present a low-risk to people’s health in terms of food safety and which would not normally be thought of as food businesses – for example, newsagents, chemist shops or visitor centres selling tins of biscuits.
• childminders and businesses that offer caring services at home

These types of business can ask to receive an inspection result if they wish but only details of those in the first group will be published on the website but those in the second group can share the information with parents and others using their services.

The owner or manager of the business should talk to the local authority enforcement officer that inspected the business about why they were not given a ‘Pass’.

If the business owner or manager still thinks that the inspection result is unfair or wrong, he/she can appeal in writing. This means filling in a form that they can get from their local authority and sending it to the authority within 14 days (this includes weekends and public holidays) of being notified in writing of the inspection result.

The owner or manager of the business also has a ‘right to reply’. This is different from an appeal. The owner or manager can fill in a form that they can get from their local authority to tell them how the business has improved hygiene or to say if there were unusual circumstances at the time of the inspection. A business’s right to reply will be published online by the local authority with the business’s hygiene inspection result.

Read about the appeal process and right to reply.

Yes, but only if all the matters that the local authority enforcement officer told the business about in the last food hygiene inspected report have been addressed, and the businesses now meets the 'Pass' standard.

The local authority will arrange a revisit within seven days of receiving a request by the owner or manager of the food business confirming that all matters have been addressed. The local authority’s inspection report will provide contact details to allow the business to arrange for a revisit.

You should contact the local authority that gave the rating. The name of the local authority and its contact details can be found if you search for the business here.

The local authority details are also on any certificate or the on back of any sticker on display at the place you ate or the shop you were in.

Yes, we’re interested to know what you think.

You can contact us by emailing pauline.wilkinson@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk or by calling 01224 285 174.

If you want to write to us, please send your letter to:

Pauline Wilkinson
Food Hygiene Information Scheme Team
Food Standards Agency
6th Floor
St Magnus House
25 Guild Street
Aberdeen
Scotland AB11 6NJ