Tesco food hygiene rating
Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets · Colchester
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 25 October 2024, 20 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: Tesco Express, 48-52 St Christopher Road, Colchester, CO4 0NB
How it compares in Colchester
In Colchester, 89% of rated places manage a 5, so Tesco sits behind roughly 1,200 nearby businesses. 6% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,200 | 89% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 83 | 6% | ← Tesco | |
| 3 out of 5 | 50 | 4% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 5 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 302 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety Very good
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abacus Kindergarten School/college/university | 240 yards away | 5 - Very good | 9 December 2025 |
| BP Eastwood Retailers - other | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 4 December 2024 |
| Abacus Kindergarten Caring Premises | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 18 February 2025 |
| Butterflys Caring Premises | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 11 June 2025 |
| China Garden Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 17 September 2024 |
| Big Up Off Licence Retailers - other | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 5 June 2025 |
| Cinders Kitchen Mobile caterer | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 21 November 2023 |
| AYS Care Caring Premises | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 7 December 2023 |
Questions about Tesco
What is Tesco's food hygiene rating?
Tesco has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Colchester Council on 25 October 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 25 October 2024, 20 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Colchester Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Tesco?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "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 Colchester?
89% of the 1,349 rated food businesses in Colchester hold the top rating of 5, while Tesco holds a 4. 83 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Colchester 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.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Colchester inspects and rates 1,651 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Colchester →
The official record is held by the council: https://www.colchester.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 →