4

Mama Lit Special Foods food hygiene rating

Retailers - other · Portsmouth

Mama Lit Special Foods holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the shop are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.

The rating: 4 - Good

The rating dates from 24 January 2018, more than 8 years ago. A lot can change in a kitchen in that time, and a rating this old says more about the business then than now. Councils prioritise re-inspecting higher-risk premises, so a long gap often means the business is considered low-risk.

Address: Shop, 92 Fawcett Road, Southsea, PO4 0DN

How it compares in Portsmouth

In Portsmouth, 64% of rated places manage a 5, so Mama Lit Special Foods sits behind roughly 978 nearby businesses. 20% of the borough shares its 4.

Every rated food business in Portsmouth
5 out of 5 978 64%
4 out of 5 310 20% ← Mama Lit Special Foods
3 out of 5 124 8%
2 out of 5 67 4%
1 out of 5 53 3%
0 out of 5 2 <1%

A further 269 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At Mama Lit Special Foods none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.

Food hygiene ratings nearby

The closest food businesses to Mama Lit Special Foods, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
2 Nice Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 29 yards away 5 - Very good 26 January 2026
Café Local - Fratton Railway Station Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 14 July 2025
Ark Ayrton Primary Academy School/college/university 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 2 June 2026
Cafe Victory Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 27 May 2026
Asda Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 9 June 2026
Anwar's Indian Takeaway Takeaway/sandwich shop 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 17 December 2024
Aldi Fratton Way, Portsmouth Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 0.5 miles away 5 - Very good 31 January 2024
Cafe Parisian Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.6 miles away 5 - Very good 2 September 2025

Questions about Mama Lit Special Foods

What is Mama Lit Special Foods's food hygiene rating?

Mama Lit Special Foods has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Portsmouth Council on 24 January 2018.

Is Mama Lit Special Foods safe to eat at?

The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this shop to be good, the top end of the scale.

When was Mama Lit Special Foods last inspected?

Mama Lit Special Foods was last inspected on 24 January 2018, more than 8 years ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Portsmouth Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Mama Lit Special Foods?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "very good", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does Mama Lit Special Foods compare to other places in Portsmouth?

64% of the 1,534 rated food businesses in Portsmouth hold the top rating of 5, while Mama Lit Special Foods holds a 4. 310 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

Portsmouth Council inspects Mama Lit Special Foods and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.

Tell me when this changes

The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch Mama Lit Special Foods and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →

Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Mama Lit Special Foods is one of 541 rated food businesses in Southsea. See every hygiene rating in Southsea

Portsmouth inspects and rates 1,803 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Portsmouth

The official record is held by the council: http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk

Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →