3

Howies food hygiene rating

Mobile caterer · Babergh

Howies holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The mobile caterer met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.

The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory

The rating dates from 17 March 2026, 3 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: 11 Milner Road, Chilton Industrial Estate, Sudbury, CO10 2XG

How it compares in Babergh

In Babergh, 86% of rated places manage a 5, so Howies sits behind roughly 762 nearby businesses. 3% of the borough shares its 3.

Every rated food business in Babergh
5 out of 5 696 86%
4 out of 5 66 8%
3 out of 5 27 3% ← Howies
2 out of 5 7 1%
1 out of 5 8 1%
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

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 Howies 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 Howies, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Citrus Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 91 yards away 5 - Very good 6 November 2025
Poundland Ltd Retailers - other 192 yards away 5 - Very good 2 March 2016
Farm Foods Limited Retailers - other 192 yards away 5 - Very good 2 February 2024
KFC Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 192 yards away 5 - Very good 31 January 2025
McDonalds Takeaway/sandwich shop 215 yards away 5 - Very good 13 January 2025
Londis Gainsborough Retailers - other 262 yards away 5 - Very good 24 June 2026
1 Oak Community Meals Other catering premises 270 yards away 5 - Very good 9 April 2025
1Oak Chilton Day Centre Caring Premises 270 yards away 5 - Very good 8 September 2022

Questions about Howies

What is Howies's food hygiene rating?

Howies has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Babergh Council on 17 March 2026.

Is Howies safe to eat at?

A 3 means the mobile caterer met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.

When was Howies last inspected?

Howies was last inspected on 17 March 2026, 3 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 Howies?

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

How does Howies compare to other places in Babergh?

86% of the 806 rated food businesses in Babergh hold the top rating of 5, while Howies holds a 3. 27 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

Babergh Council inspects Howies 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 Howies and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Howies 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 →