Budgens food hygiene rating
Retailers - other · Babergh
Budgens holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the shop and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
The rating dates from 4 June 2025, 13 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.
Address: Hall Street, Long Melford, Sudbury, CO10 9JG
How it compares in Babergh
A 1 is rare: only 8 of 806 rated places in Babergh score this low, about one in 101. By contrast 86% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 696 | 86% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 66 | 8% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 27 | 3% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 7 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 8 | 1% | ← Budgens | |
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 73 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 Good
- How well they manage food safety Major improvement necessary
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 Budgens the inspector recorded concerns over confidence in management. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Budgens, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oldspeak Bookshop Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 25 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 June 2025 |
| Lets Cook - The Cracked Nut Deli Retailers - other | 65 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 February 2026 |
| B Dowse Mobile caterer | 109 yards away | 5 - Very good | 11 September 2024 |
| Brown Sugar Long Melford Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 128 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 March 2025 |
| Cafe Hygge Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 193 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 January 2025 |
| Cock & Bell Pub/bar/nightclub | 263 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 May 2026 |
| Clark and Son Butchers Retailers - other | 288 yards away | 5 - Very good | 20 August 2025 |
| Bull Hotel Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 392 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 September 2025 |
Questions about Budgens
What is Budgens's food hygiene rating?
Budgens has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by Babergh Council on 4 June 2025.
Is Budgens safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The shop is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was Budgens last inspected?
Budgens was last inspected on 4 June 2025, 13 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Babergh Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Budgens?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", and confidence in the management of food safety "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Budgens compare to other places in Babergh?
86% of the 806 rated food businesses in Babergh hold the top rating of 5, while Budgens holds a 1. 8 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Babergh Council inspects Budgens 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 Budgens 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 →
Is this your business?
A rating of 1 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Babergh, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Babergh
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Budgens is one of 307 rated food businesses in Sudbury. See every hygiene rating in Sudbury →
Babergh inspects and rates 879 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Babergh →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.babergh.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 →