Contents
The short answer
A food hygiene rating is a score from 0 to 5 that a council inspector gives a food business after a visit. A 5 is very good. A 0 means urgent improvement is needed. The score covers hygiene only, not taste or service. You can look up any rating free on the Food Standards Agency website.
What does each food hygiene rating mean?
The scale runs from 0 to 5. Each number has an official label, so it is not just a general feeling.
A 3 means standards are generally satisfactory. That is not a red flag on its own. It does mean there are things to fix, so look at the date and decide how much risk you want to take.
- 5: Very good.
- 4: Good.
- 3: Generally satisfactory.
- 2: Improvement necessary.
- 1: Major improvement necessary.
- 0: Urgent improvement necessary. This is the lowest score.
What does the inspector actually check?
A food inspector from the local council visits the business. The inspector is not paid by the business, and nobody can buy a better score.
Three areas are checked. First, how food is handled, prepared and stored. Second, the building itself, including cleanliness, layout and pest control. Third, how the owner manages food safety, which usually means written records and a clear system.
The three areas combine into one score. A kitchen can be spotless and still lose marks for missing paperwork. Another can have perfect paperwork and a dirty floor. The headline number does not show which.
How do I check a food hygiene rating?
Use the Food Standards Agency ratings website at ratings.food.gov.uk. It is free and covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Search by business name and town, or by postcode.
Each result shows the score, the date of the last inspection, and the council that carried it out. The website is the current record. A sticker in the window can be out of date.
Always look at the date
A 5 from four years ago tells you less than a 4 from last month. Inspections can be months or years apart, so the score is only as fresh as the date next to it.
Do businesses have to show their rating?
It depends on where you are. In Wales, the law requires a business to display its rating. That has been the case since the Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013. Northern Ireland has had the same rule since its own Act came into force in October 2016.
In England, showing the sticker is voluntary. A missing sticker in England does not mean a bad score. The rating still exists and you can look it up.
The law makes a real difference. The Food Standards Agency checked in 2023 and found a clearly visible sticker at 98% of Welsh businesses and 97% of Northern Irish ones. In England it was 82%.
How does Scotland work?
Scotland does not use the 0 to 5 scale. It runs the Food Hygiene Information Scheme, and the result is either 'Pass' or 'Improvement Required'. Food Standards Scotland publishes the results online.
'Pass' means the business met the legal requirements on the day. There is no number above it, so a Pass in Edinburgh cannot be compared with a 5 in Leeds.
A business marked 'Improvement Required' can ask the council to visit again once it has fixed the problems. Showing the result in the window is voluntary.
What do 'Awaiting inspection' and 'Exempt' mean?
'Awaiting inspection' usually means a new business that nobody has visited yet. It is not a bad score and it is not a zero.
'Exempt' is used for some very low-risk businesses that the scheme does not rate. It does not mean the business has something to hide.
How much should I trust a rating?
- Treat it as a snapshot of one visit, not a promise about every day.
- Remember it covers hygiene, not cooking. A 5 can still be a dull meal.
- Check the date. Higher-risk businesses are visited more often than low-risk ones.
- Look at how big the gap is between the score and what you can see. If a 5-rated place looks dirty to you, trust your eyes and leave.
What if I am worried about a food business?
Contact the food safety team at the council for the area where the business is. Do not rely on a delivery app, because the app cannot inspect anything and the council can.
Say what you saw, the date, and the name and address. If you were ill, see a doctor, keep any packaging, and write down what you ate and when the symptoms began.
A business that disagrees with its own score has options too. It can ask for a return visit after making improvements, and it can add a right to reply next to the rating. The new score still comes from a fresh inspection.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good food hygiene rating?
- A 4 or a 5 is good. A 3 is generally satisfactory. A 2 or lower means the inspector wanted real improvement, so it is worth thinking twice.
- Can a restaurant pay for a better food hygiene rating?
- No. Ratings come from council inspectors and cannot be bought. A business can ask for a return visit after fixing problems, but the new score still comes from an inspection.
- How often are food businesses inspected?
- It depends on risk. Higher-risk businesses are visited more often. The gap can be anything from a few months to a few years, which is why the inspection date matters.
- Does a rating of 5 mean the food is good?
- No. A 5 means the business keeps its kitchen, its food handling and its records to a very good standard. It says nothing about taste, portion size, price or service.
- Does a rating of 0 mean the business is closed?
- No. A 0 means urgent improvement is necessary. Closing a business is a separate step that a council can take if there is a serious risk to health.
- Is a Scottish Pass the same as a 5?
- No. Scotland uses a different scheme with only two results, Pass and Improvement Required. A Pass means the legal requirements were met, with no scale above it.
About this guide
Written and maintained by the LocalListed editorial team. It describes UK regulation and consumer protections in general terms and is not legal, financial or professional advice. Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and change over time: always check the position with the named regulator before relying on it.
