How UK food hygiene ratings work

Every place that sells or serves food in the UK gets inspected and scored. Here is what the number on the sticker actually means, in plain English.

The 0 to 5 scale

Businesses get a single rating from 0 to 5. The higher the number, the better the hygiene standards were when the inspector visited.

5 out of 5: Very good

Hygiene standards are very good. The gold standard, and what you want to see.
4 out of 5: Good

Hygiene standards are good. A minor thing or two, nothing to worry about.
3 out of 5: Generally satisfactory

Standards are acceptable, but there is room for improvement in places.
2 out of 5: Improvement necessary

Some standards are not being met and improvements are required.
1 out of 5: Major improvement necessary

A lot needs putting right. Worth a second thought before you order.
0 out of 5: Urgent improvement necessary

Standards are well below what is required and must be fixed urgently.

What inspectors check

The overall rating comes from three separate judgements. A business has to do reasonably well across all three to earn a top score. One weak area drags the whole rating down.

Hygiene

How food is handled: preparing, cooking, reheating, cooling and storing it safely, and keeping things clean as they go.

Structure

The condition of the building itself: cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, hand-washing facilities and pest control.

Confidence in management

How well the people in charge understand the risks and can show they will keep standards up after the inspector leaves.

A rating is about safety, not taste

A hygiene rating scores how safely a business handles food, not how good the food is. A humble café can score a 5 and a smart restaurant can score a 1. If you want to know what a specific score means for a specific place, look it up and we spell it out on the page.

A quick note on Scotland

Scotland runs the Food Hygiene Information Scheme instead of the 0 to 5 scale. There, a business either gets a Pass or an Improvement Required result. England, Wales and Northern Ireland all use the 0 to 5 Food Hygiene Rating Scheme you see across most of this site.

Food hygiene ratings: common questions

What do the 0 to 5 food hygiene ratings mean?

A 5 means hygiene standards are very good and is the top score. A 4 is good, a 3 is generally satisfactory. A 2 means improvement is necessary, a 1 means major improvement is necessary, and a 0 means urgent improvement is necessary. The higher the number, the better.

What does a food hygiene inspector check?

Three things: how hygienically the food is handled, the cleanliness and condition of the premises, and how confident the inspector is that management will keep standards up. Those combine into the single rating you see.

How often are food businesses inspected?

It is based on risk. Higher-risk businesses, such as those handling lots of fresh meat, are inspected more often, sometimes every six months. Lower-risk places may go two years or more between visits. The rating shown is always from the most recent inspection.

What does exempt or awaiting inspection mean?

Exempt means the business is low-risk, such as a newsagent selling only wrapped sweets, and does not need a rating. Awaiting inspection means it is a new or newly reopened business that has not been visited yet. Neither is a bad sign.

Are food hygiene ratings different in Scotland?

Yes. Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme, which gives a Pass or an Improvement Required result rather than a 0 to 5 score. The rest of the UK uses the 0 to 5 Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.

Does a low rating mean the food is unsafe?

Not necessarily. A low rating flags that standards were not being met at the time of the inspection. It is a snapshot, and businesses can and do improve. It is information to help you decide, not a verdict on a single meal.

Can a business improve its food hygiene rating?

Yes. A rating reflects one inspection, and a business can request a re-inspection once it has made improvements. That is why you will sometimes see a place jump up the scale between visits.

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