Quick answer: UK food hygiene ratings run from 0 to 5. A 5 means hygiene standards are very good; a 0 means urgent improvement is necessary. Inspectors score food handling, premises condition and confidence in management.
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What ratings 0 to 5 mean, how inspections work, the three scoring criteria, and when display is a legal requirement.
Updated July 2026 · Based on FSA Food Hygiene Rating Scheme guidance
Quick answer: UK food hygiene ratings run from 0 to 5. A 5 means hygiene standards are very good; a 0 means urgent improvement is necessary. Inspectors score food handling, premises condition and confidence in management.
Environmental Health Officers assess three areas independently. Each receives a score, and the combined total determines your 0-5 rating. One badly performing area pulls the entire rating down — even if the other two are excellent.
How food is prepared, cooked, reheated, cooled, and stored. Inspectors observe whether cross-contamination is being prevented, whether cooking and cooling temperatures are correct, and whether allergens are properly managed. They watch staff at work and check that practices match documented procedures.
The physical state of the premises: cleanliness of surfaces and equipment, kitchen layout, condition of walls, floors, and ceilings, hand wash basins, ventilation, lighting, and pest control. A kitchen might handle food well but lose marks here if the building is poorly maintained.
Whether the business has a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles and whether it is actually being used. Inspectors want to see completed daily records, temperature logs, staff training records, and cleaning schedules. This is consistently where businesses lose the most marks.
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Each category is scored from 0 (best) to 25 or 30 (worst). The three scores are totalled, and the total maps to your rating. But there is an important override: if any single category scores too high, your rating drops regardless of the total.
| Rating | Description | Total score | Max per category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Very good | 0 – 15 | 5 |
| 4 | Good | 20 | 10 |
| 3 | Generally satisfactory | 25 – 30 | 10 |
| 2 | Improvement necessary | 35 – 40 | 15 |
| 1 | Major improvement | 45 – 50 | 20 |
| 0 | Urgent improvement | 50+ | — |
One bad area ruins everything. A restaurant with perfect food handling and a spotless kitchen can still get a 3 or lower if they have no documented HACCP records. The "max per category" column is the key — it caps your rating even if the other areas are excellent.
Inspections are always unannounced. The Environmental Health Officer arrives during normal business hours and has a legal right of entry. You cannot refuse an inspection. A typical visit takes one to three hours depending on the size and complexity of the business.
The inspector walks through the premises, observes food handling, checks fridge and freezer temperatures, reviews your food safety management records, training certificates, cleaning schedules, and pest control reports. They may ask staff questions about procedures to verify that training has been effective.
The EHO discusses findings before leaving and explains any issues. You later receive a written report with scores for each area and required or recommended actions. Your rating is published on the official FSA ratings website, usually within 28 days.
Frequency is risk-based. High-risk businesses (previous low ratings, complex operations) are inspected every 6 months. Medium-risk every 12–18 months. Low-risk with consistently high ratings may only be visited every 2–3 years. Newly registered businesses are usually inspected within 28 days.
Scotland is different. Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS), which gives a simple Pass or Improvement Required result rather than a 0-5 rating. The inspection process is similar, but the outcome is binary.
Whether you must display your rating depends on where your business is located.
Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013. Must display at entrance, visible to customers. Fixed penalty for non-compliance.
Food Hygiene Rating Act (NI) 2016. Must display in a conspicuous place readily visible to customers.
No legislation yet. FSA and CIEH campaign for mandatory display. 69% of businesses choose to display voluntarily.
Displaying your rating online is not legally required anywhere, but customers routinely check before ordering. You can use our free hygiene rating widget to add an auto-updating badge to your website.
The EHO will typically serve a Hygiene Improvement Notice — a formal legal document requiring corrective action within a specified deadline (minimum 14 days). If there is an imminent risk to public health, they can issue a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, which closes the business immediately. The authority must then apply to Magistrates' Court within 3 days for a Prohibition Order.
Fines are unlimited. Failure to comply with a Hygiene Improvement Notice is a criminal offence. There is no cap on fines since 2016. Tesco was fined £7.56 million in 2021 for food safety breaches. Individual directors can face personal prosecution.
Written advice on required improvements with deadlines. Enforcement action may follow if improvements are not made. Follow-up visits are scheduled.
Written guidance provided. Less severe enforcement but improvements are expected before the next scheduled inspection.
A 0 rating does not automatically mean closure — that only happens when there is an imminent risk to health. But businesses rated 2 or below are twice as likely to be linked to food poisoning outbreaks.
You can formally appeal within 21 days of receiving your rating notification. The appeal is reviewed by a different officer than the one who inspected you. You will receive a decision within 21 days. If still dissatisfied, you can use the local authority's complaints procedure.
If you have made improvements and want a new rating, you can request a re-rating inspection in writing. In Wales and Northern Ireland, re-inspections happen within 3 months and carry a fee. In England, timelines vary by local authority — some charge, some do not. The inspector will assess standards generally, not just the areas you improved.
You can submit a written response that is published alongside your rating on the FSA website. This does not change the rating — it simply adds context for consumers. There is no deadline; you can submit a response at any time until the next inspection.
UK food hygiene ratings run from 0 to 5. A 5 is the top rating — hygiene standards are very good — and 0 means urgent improvement is necessary. The single number appears on the green-and-black FSA sticker. Scotland uses a different scheme (FHIS) with Pass or Improvement Required rather than a 0–5 number.
Food hygiene ratings are numbers from 0 to 5, not stars. A 0 rating means urgent improvement is necessary — major hygiene or management failings were found. A 0 does not force closure on its own, but the local authority can issue a Hygiene Improvement Notice, or in serious cases a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice that closes the business immediately.
Ratings do not expire. They are replaced by a new rating after each subsequent inspection. The FSA website shows the inspection date alongside each rating so consumers can judge how recent it is.
The FSA website shows the current rating and inspection date. Detailed reports are held by the local authority and can be obtained through a Freedom of Information request. Our free rating checker shows score breakdowns for each category.
Focus on the three scoring areas. The most impactful quick wins are usually in management — completing daily records, logging temperatures, and maintaining training files. For a detailed guide, see how to improve your food hygiene rating.