Information on food hygiene ratings
Find out more about the scheme as well as information about appeals and re-inspections.
The food hygiene rating scheme is your chance to promote your standards of food hygiene to your customers.
At inspection, scores are given for three areas:
- how hygienically the food is handled - how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored
- the condition of the structure of the premises - cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities
- how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe
These scores are then converted to a food hygiene rating. Ratings will be published on a national website and you will be required to display a sticker in a prominent place (such as a front door or window) to your food business to show your rating.
Food hygiene ratings
| Total score | Maximum scoring factor | Rating | Hygiene standards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 15 | No score greater than 5 | 5 (top) | Very good |
| 20 | No score greater than 10 | 4 | Good |
| 25 - 30 | No score greater than 10 | 3 | Generally satisfactory |
| 35 - 40 | No score greater than 15 | 2 | Improvement necessary |
| 45 - 50 | No score greater than 20 | 1 | Major investment necessary |
| > 50 | - | 0 (bottom) | Urgent improvement necessary |
If you are unhappy with the score that you have achieved you have the right to reply, appeal against the score, or request a re-inspection.
