What a food hygiene rating tells you (and what it doesn’t)
The sticker in the window says nothing about whether the food is any good. It measures hygiene, and only as it was on the day an inspector last visited. That’s still useful information. It just helps to know what you’re looking at.
The 0 to 5 scale
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, local authority inspectors rate food businesses from 0 to 5 under the Food Standards Agency’s scheme. They look at how hygienically food is handled, the condition of the premises and how the business manages food safety, then score it:
- 5: hygiene standards are very good
- 4: good
- 3: generally satisfactory
- 2: some improvement is necessary
- 1: major improvement is necessary
- 0: urgent improvement is necessary
A 3 means standards were satisfactory at the last visit. A 0, 1 or 2 means the inspector found problems worth fixing, and a 0 means they needed fixing straight away.
Scotland does it differently
Scotland runs the Food Hygiene Information Scheme. Instead of a number, a business gets Pass or Improvement Required. A Pass means it met the standard at its last inspection, though it doesn’t show by how much, so you can’t compare a Pass in Edinburgh with a 5 in Leeds.
You may also see “Exempt” or “Awaiting inspection”. Neither is a rating. The first usually covers low-risk businesses and the second a business that hasn’t had its first visit yet.
What the rating can’t tell you
It’s a snapshot. A rating of 5 from three years ago and one from last month carry different weight, so check the inspection date. It also says nothing about taste, price or service.
The scheme doesn’t currently cover allergen management either. If you have an allergy, ask the staff directly, whatever the sticker says.
In England a business isn’t required to display its rating, so a missing sticker isn’t evidence of a bad one. Every rating is published online on the Food Standards Agency’s ratings site, where you can search by name or postcode.
Using it when you’re choosing where to eat
Most people will never look up a rating for a coffee, and that’s reasonable. It earns its keep for places where food is prepared in bulk or in volume: takeaways, buffets, anywhere with a long menu and a small kitchen. If a rating is 2 or below, you’ll want to know before you book.
Our listings don’t show hygiene ratings yet, so look the name up on the FSA site first. You can browse restaurants and cafés in Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
