UK food hygiene statistics
An overview of food hygiene ratings across the United Kingdom, built from official Food Standards Agency open data. Explore the national distribution of 0–5 ratings, compare the four nations and the most common business types, and see how regions differ.
Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (Pass / Improvement Required) rather than a 0–5 score, so its businesses are excluded from the numeric averages above.
Rating distribution across the UK
How the 485,183 food businesses with a numeric Food Hygiene Rating are spread across the 0–5 scale. Most businesses score well — but the proportion at each level is what tells the real story.
How the four nations compare
The number of rated food businesses in each UK nation, with the average FHRS rating where the 0–5 scheme applies. England, Wales and Northern Ireland use FHRS (0–5); Scotland uses the FHIS Pass / Improvement scheme.
| Nation | Businesses | Average rating | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 499,509 | 4.65 / 5 | View England |
| Scotland | 58,602 | FHIS (Pass/Imp.) | View Scotland |
| Wales | 33,854 | 4.63 / 5 | View Wales |
| Northern Ireland | 16,915 | 4.77 / 5 | View Northern Ireland |
The most common business types
Restaurants, takeaways, retailers and caterers make up the bulk of the register. Here are the largest categories by number of rated businesses, with the average FHRS rating for each.
| Business type | Businesses | Average rating |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 139,886 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Retailers - other | 119,823 | 4.51 / 5 |
| Other catering premises | 74,917 | 4.85 / 5 |
| Takeaway/sandwich shop | 62,957 | 4.33 / 5 |
| Pub/bar/nightclub | 50,590 | 4.66 / 5 |
| Hospitals/Childcare/Caring Premises | 43,207 | 4.84 / 5 |
| School/college/university | 35,888 | 4.9 / 5 |
| Mobile caterer | 30,893 | 4.82 / 5 |
| Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 15,931 | 4.79 / 5 |
| Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 14,623 | 4.79 / 5 |
| Manufacturers/packers | 11,891 | 4.76 / 5 |
| Distributors/Transporters | 4,600 | 4.77 / 5 |
| Farmers/growers | 2,790 | 4.88 / 5 |
| Importers/Exporters | 884 | 4.74 / 5 |
Food businesses by region
How rated food businesses are distributed across the regions of the UK — a reflection of population and the density of the hospitality and retail trade.
Browse a region: London · South East · North West · Scotland · South West · East Counties · Yorkshire and Humberside · West Midlands · East Midlands · Wales · North East · Northern Ireland
Statistics by nation
Dive into a single nation for its own distribution, top authorities and 5-rated share.
About these statistics
Every figure on this page is derived from the official Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) and the Scottish Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) open data. We count only businesses currently active in the latest data we have processed. Numeric averages use FHRS ratings only — Scotland’s Pass / Improvement Required results are not numbers and are never averaged into a 0–5 figure.
Want the detail behind the headlines? Read our methodology, browse every local authority or see the rankings and leaderboards.
Statistics are derived from data © Food Standards Agency / Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. HygieneCheck is not affiliated with the FSA.