You can read about the scheme on the Food Standards Agency website.
Alternatively, you can watch a video about the scheme on the Food Standards Agency's YouTube channel.
To help you choose where to eat out or shop for food, we run the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in partnership with the Food Standards Agency. It shows the hygiene standards in restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels and other places you eat out, as well as supermarkets and other food shops.
How is the rating calculated?
Each business is given a rating following an inspection by a food safety officer who will check:
- how hygienically the food is handled – for example, safe food preparation, cooking, reheating, cooling and storage
- the condition of the structure of the premises – for example, cleanliness, repair, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities
- how food safety is managed and documented – for example, using a system such as Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB)
The rating reflects the conditions found at the last inspection and does not reflect the quality of food or the standards of service the business provides.
What are the different ratings?
A business will be rated from 0 to 5, and all businesses should be able to achieve the top rating of 5. Where a business does not, the food safety officer will explain what improvements are needed.
The scheme gives businesses a rating from 5 to 0. Find out what the ratings mean. Ratings are displayed at business premises and online so you can make more informed choices about where to buy and eat food.
Where will the food hygiene rating be displayed?
Businesses are given a window sticker showing their rating and are encouraged to display it at their premises.
Business safeguards
To help ensure the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is fair to businesses, it includes a number of safeguards.
These include an appeal procedure, a right to reply and an opportunity to request a re-visit when improvements have been made.
Read more about business safeguards.
Right to reply
The right to reply allows you to explain how you have worked to improve your food hygiene standards. You can also explain any unusual circumstances that might have affected your rating. It is not an opportunity to complain about or criticise the process.
Complete the right to reply form, available from the Food Standards Agency website, and return it to the Food Hygiene Rating Lead Officer.
Right of appeal
Once notified of your rating, you have 21 days (including weekends and bank holidays) to appeal if you believe the rating does not reflect the hygiene standards and management controls at the time of your inspection.
To appeal:
- speak to your food safety officer first to discuss how your rating was calculated
- if you still believe the rating is incorrect, submit a formal appeal using the form available on the Food Standards Agency website
Request a re-visit
If you make the improvements highlighted in your inspection report, you can request a re-visit with a view to receiving a new and higher food hygiene rating. There is a charge for each re-visit requested. The re-visit will be carried out within three months of receiving your application and payment.
Guidance and the re-visit request form are available on the Food Standards Agency website.