What do food hygiene ratings mean?
Every food business inspected in the UK is given a food hygiene rating. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) uses a 0–5 scale; in Scotland the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) shows Pass or Improvement Required instead. Here is what each result means.
The 0–5 food hygiene rating scale
A rating reflects the standards found at the last inspection: how hygienically food is handled, the condition and cleanliness of the premises, and how well the business manages food safety. 5 is the top rating; 0 is the lowest.
Scotland: the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS)
Food businesses in Scotland are inspected under the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS), which does not use the 0–5 scale. Instead a business is shown as:
Pass
The business meets the legal requirements for food hygiene. 42,917 Scottish businesses currently hold a Pass. See Pass businesses
Improvement Required
The business did not meet the legal requirements at the last inspection and improvements are needed. See Improvement Required businesses
A Scottish business can also be Awaiting Inspection or Exempt. We never numerically average FHIS results together with the 0–5 FHRS scale, because the two schemes measure differently.
How the rating is decided
Under FHRS, an officer from the local authority assesses three areas at the inspection, and each contributes to the overall 0–5 rating. For these component scores a lower number is better (0 is best):
- Hygiene — how hygienically the food is handled: preparation, cooking, cooling, storage.
- Structure — the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and pest control of the premises.
- Confidence in management — how well the business manages and records food safety so standards are kept up.
The rating is a snapshot of the last inspection on a given date. Standards can change between visits, so a rating can go up or down at the next inspection. See our methodology for how we source and update this data.
Browse businesses by rating
379,166 businessesRating 4 — Good
64,398 businessesRating 3 — Generally Satisfactory
27,034 businessesRating 2 — Improvement Necessary
7,101 businessesRating 1 — Major Improvement Necessary
6,607 businessesRating 0 — Urgent Improvement Necessary
877 businessesPass (Scotland)
42,917 businessesImprovement Required (Scotland)
FHIS result
Food hygiene rating FAQs
What is a good food hygiene rating?
What does a food hygiene rating of 0 mean?
Is 5 the highest food hygiene rating?
Why doesn't Scotland use 0 to 5?
How often are ratings updated?
Food hygiene rating data is © Food Standards Agency / Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. HygieneCheck is not affiliated with the Food Standards Agency.