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A rating is a number. What it actually tells you, and what it doesn't, takes a little more
explaining. These guides answer the questions that a single venue's page can't.
Everything here is drawn from the published rules of the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards
Scotland. Where the law differs between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and on
the questions people ask most, it usually does, each nation is set out separately.
What does a 0 food hygiene rating mean?
A 0 means the inspector found serious problems and urgent improvement is necessary. It is the lowest rating the scheme gives, but it is not a closure order, and a business with a 0 can, and usually does, keep trading while it puts things right.
Does a low hygiene rating mean the food is unsafe?
A low rating tells you that an inspector found problems on a particular day. It is not a measurement of the food, it is not a prediction, and it is not a verdict on whether you will get ill. It is the best single signal a member of the public has, and it is a snapshot.
Does a business have to display its hygiene rating?
It depends where you are. In Wales and Northern Ireland a food business must display its rating where you can read it before you go in. In England it is voluntary, a business there can legally show you nothing.
How often are food businesses inspected?
Higher-risk businesses are inspected more often, roughly every six months at the top of the scale, stretching to two years or more for low-risk premises. Inspections are unannounced, and a business that disagrees with its rating has 21 days to appeal.
What is a good food hygiene rating?
A good rating is a 5, and a 4 is not far behind. A 3 means the business met the legal standard but the inspector saw enough to hold it back, so it is a pass, not a compliment. Anything from 0 to 2 means improvement was required.
How to check a restaurant's food hygiene rating
You can check any UK restaurant, takeaway, cafe, pub or shop by searching its name here, or on the Food Standards Agency's own site. The rating is free, public, and comes from the business's last council inspection.
The three scores behind a food hygiene rating, explained
Every rating comes from three areas the inspector scores: how food is handled, the condition of the premises, and confidence in management. The overall rating reflects the weakest of the three, which is why a clean kitchen can still score low.
Scotland's food hygiene scheme: what a Pass means
In Scotland a food business gets a Pass or an Improvement Required result, never a score out of five. A Pass means it met the legal requirements at inspection. It cannot be translated into a star rating, and we never pretend otherwise.
A place has a low hygiene rating: what can you do?
If a place has a low rating you are free to eat elsewhere, and if you have a real concern, food that made you ill, or something you saw, the people who can act are the council's environmental health team, not this site and not the business.
What does 'awaiting inspection' mean on a food hygiene rating?
"Awaiting inspection" means the business has registered with its council but has not yet had its first food hygiene inspection, so no rating has been given. It is normal for new businesses and is not a bad sign in itself.
General information, not legal advice. Data and rules from the Food Standards
Agency and Food Standards Scotland under the Open Government Licence.