4

Tesco food hygiene rating

Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets · Canterbury City

Tesco holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the supermarket 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 9 September 2024, 22 months ago. That is getting on for the longest gap councils usually leave, so the score may not reflect how the business is run today.

Address: Millstrood Road, Whitstable, CT5 3EF

How it compares in Canterbury City

In Canterbury City, 78% of rated places manage a 5, so Tesco sits behind roughly 1,161 nearby businesses. 12% of the borough shares its 4.

Every rated food business in Canterbury City
5 out of 5 1,161 78%
4 out of 5 185 12% ← Tesco
3 out of 5 120 8%
2 out of 5 14 1%
1 out of 5 2 <1%
0 out of 5 1 <1%

A further 166 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 Tesco 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 Tesco, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Battle Sector X 2 Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 157 yards away 5 - Very good 11 March 2025
Canterbury Food Bank Retailers - other 157 yards away 5 - Very good 10 December 2025
Dunk Cookies Ltd Manufacturers/packers 157 yards away 5 - Very good 1 July 2025
Impact Food Group @ The Whitstable School School/college/university 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 5 February 2026
Choochoos Day Nursery Caring Premises 0.8 miles away 5 - Very good 19 October 2022
Emmas Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.8 miles away 5 - Very good 1 October 2024
Hathats Coffee Company Retailers - other 0.8 miles away 5 - Very good 16 September 2024
Labour Club Pub/bar/nightclub 0.8 miles away 5 - Very good 25 November 2025

Questions about Tesco

What is Tesco's food hygiene rating?

Tesco has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Canterbury City Council on 9 September 2024.

Is Tesco 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 supermarket to be good, the top end of the scale.

When was Tesco last inspected?

Tesco was last inspected on 9 September 2024, 22 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Canterbury City Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Tesco?

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

How does Tesco compare to other places in Canterbury City?

78% of the 1,483 rated food businesses in Canterbury City hold the top rating of 5, while Tesco holds a 4. 185 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

Canterbury City Council inspects Tesco 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 Tesco 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

Tesco is one of 294 rated food businesses in Whitstable. See every hygiene rating in Whitstable

Canterbury City inspects and rates 1,649 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Canterbury City

The official record is held by the council: http://www.canterbury.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 →