Every venue on FoodDirect that serves food shows its food hygiene rating. Here’s what the number means and where it comes from.
A business that has just opened, or has new owners, may show Awaiting inspection. One that sells only low-risk food, such as a shop selling sealed snacks, may be Exempt.
Food safety officers from the local council inspect each food business under the Food Standards Agency’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. How often depends on the risk: a busy kitchen cooking raw meat is visited more often than a café selling cakes.
How food is handled: how it’s prepared, cooked, cooled, reheated and stored.
The premises: cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and pest control.
How food safety is managed: the records and checks the business keeps so food stays safe.
The rating is about hygiene. It doesn’t say anything about how good the food tastes or the service.
A business that has made improvements can ask its council for a re-visit, and can appeal a rating it thinks is unfair. In Wales and Northern Ireland, businesses must display their rating; in England, displaying it is voluntary but encouraged. Scotland runs a separate scheme with a Pass or Improvement Required result.
From the Food Standards Agency’s published ratings, which we check every week, so a new inspection shows on FoodDirect within a week. To see the full record for a venue, search the FSA’s food hygiene ratings site ↗.