Food hygiene, explained
Guides & insights
Clear, accurate guides to the UK food hygiene rating schemes — what the 0–5 ratings mean, how inspections work, how businesses can challenge a result, and how to report a concern. Based on Food Standards Agency guidance.
Guides
Guide
Food poisoning: symptoms, timing and what to actually do
The symptoms, when they show up, how to look after yourself at home, the warning signs that mean you should call 111, and what a hygiene rating can and can't tell you.
Guide
What to do if a restaurant has a low hygiene rating
A 0, 1 or 2 hygiene rating looks alarming on a menu or a shopfront. Here's how to read it properly, when it should actually worry you, and what to do next.
Guide
Do food delivery apps show hygiene ratings?
Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats all carry FSA hygiene ratings now — but they're buried in different places, and sometimes missing entirely. Here's where to look and what to do when the number isn't there.
Guide
Do businesses have to display their hygiene rating?
In Wales and Northern Ireland, showing the food hygiene sticker is the law. In England and Scotland it's optional. Here's what that actually means for you as a customer, and how to check the real rating either way.
Guide
What does "Awaiting Inspection" mean on a hygiene rating?
A blank rating isn't a red flag. Here's what "Awaiting Inspection", "Awaiting Publication" and "Exempt" actually mean, why a new place can wait months, and what to do when there's no score to go on.
Guide
What does each food hygiene rating mean?
A plain-English guide to the 0 to 5 food hygiene ratings: what each number actually means, how officers decide them, and the edge cases that trip people up.
Guide
How food hygiene inspections actually work
Who turns up, what they poke around in, how the 0-to-5 score is built, and what really happens after the officer leaves. A plain-English guide to FHRS inspections in the UK.
Guide
Can a business challenge its food hygiene rating?
A business unhappy with its food hygiene rating has three routes under the FSA scheme: appeal, re-inspection, or right to reply. Here's what each one actually does, the deadlines, and what they can't fix.
Guide
How to report a food business in the UK
Spotted dirty premises, pests or got food poisoning? Here's exactly who to contact, what to write down, and what actually happens after you report a food business to your council.
Guide
Food hygiene ratings explained: FHRS vs FHIS
The UK runs two food hygiene rating schemes, not one. Here's what the 0–5 numbers and Scotland's Pass/Improvement Required actually mean, and why you can't compare them.
Guide
Allergens and food hygiene ratings: what the score does and doesn't tell you
A 5-star rating tells you a kitchen was clean and well-run at its last inspection. It doesn't promise the place can safely feed someone with a nut allergy. Here's the difference, and how to eat out safely.
Guide
What do the hygiene scores mean?
The star rating is just a summary. Here's what the three component scores behind it actually measure, why lower is better, and how to read them when you're choosing where to eat.
Guide
Kitchen hygiene at home: the 4 Cs
A practical guide to the FSA's four food-safety rules — Cleaning, Cooking, Chilling and Cross-contamination — with the edge cases, real numbers and small slips that actually cause food poisoning at home.
Guide
Is a 3-rated restaurant safe to eat at?
A food hygiene rating of 3 is a pass, not a fail — "generally satisfactory". Here's what the number actually reflects, why good kitchens still get one, and how to decide for yourself.
Data insights
Data insight
UK areas with the most zero-rated takeaways
Which English authorities list the most takeaways rated 0 for hygiene — and why the headline count tells you far less than the share does. With the numbers in context.
Data insight
Which type of food business has the worst hygiene ratings?
We ranked seven common UK food business types by their average FSA hygiene rating. Takeaways sit bottom, schools top — but the gap is smaller than you'd think, and type tells you far less about any single venue than people assume.
Data insight
The cleanest and least clean UK areas for food hygiene
Which local authorities have the most businesses rated 5, which have the fewest, and why the league table tells you less about your next meal than you'd think.
About these guides
HygieneCheck is an independent directory of official UK food hygiene ratings published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and local authorities. Our guides explain how the rating schemes work so you can read any rating with confidence, and are kept in line with current FSA guidance.
Looking for a specific business? Search the ratings, or learn what each rating means and read our methodology.