Food Hygiene Rating
A score from 0 to 5 given to food businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by local authorities under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, run by the Food Standards Agency, showing hygiene standards at the time of the last inspection. Scotland uses a Pass / Improvement Required system instead of numbers. The rating is not a guide to food quality.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
The Food Standards Agency describes the scheme's purpose directly: 'The scheme helps you choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving you clear information about businesses' hygiene standards. We run the scheme in partnership with local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.' The official search service lets consumers search 'by Hygiene rating' on a scale running '5 4 3 2 1 0', and separately 'by Hygiene status (Scotland only)' using categories including 'Pass', 'Improvement Required', 'Awaiting Publication', 'Awaiting Inspection' and 'Exempt' — reflecting the fact that Scotland does not use the same numeric scale as the rest of the scheme's coverage area.
The rating is deliberately narrow in scope. The official ratings search service states plainly: 'The food hygiene rating is not a guide to food quality.' It reflects hygiene standards found at the time of the inspection that generated it, and the underlying data is held on behalf of, and administered by, individual local authorities: 'The information on businesses is held on behalf of local authorities in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Any queries about individual businesses should be directed to the appropriate local authority.'
Related terms
Official sources
This explanation is drawn from the official sources below; every substantive statement is verified against them. For advice on a specific matter, see our find help page.