Food Hygiene Rating Checker

Try the checker

Use the Near me tab to see every rated food business around you on a map - or switch to Search by name to look up a specific business anywhere in the UK. Click any pin or result for the full picture: the rating, when it was inspected, and the three scores behind it.

What it is

This is a free checker for the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) - the "scores on the doors" ratings you see in food business windows. It searches the official Food Standards Agency register live, so what you see is exactly what the FSA publishes: the current rating, the date of the inspection that produced it, the business's address and the local authority that inspected it. In Scotland, where the separate Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) applies, it shows the equivalent Pass or Improvement Required result.

Where it goes further than the number on the sticker is the detail view. Every rating is built from three scores - how hygienically food is handled, the condition and cleanliness of the premises, and "confidence in management" (the systems, records and training behind the scenes) - and the checker shows all three in plain English. Two businesses with the same rating can have very different weak spots, and the breakdown tells you which. One honest limitation: the FSA only publishes each business's current rating, so no checker can show history - which is why the inspection date is displayed alongside every result.

Why ratings matter

A food hygiene rating is the one independent, official signal you get about a business before you eat there. It's decided by a local authority food safety officer during an unannounced inspection, and it runs from 5 ("hygiene standards are very good") down to 0 ("urgent improvement is required"). Inspections are risk-based - roughly every six months for the highest-risk businesses, up to every two years for lower-risk ones - so the inspection date matters as much as the number.

The officer checks three things: how hygienically food is handled (preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage); the physical condition of the business (cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and pest control); and how the business manages and records what keeps food safe (processes, training and systems). In Wales and Northern Ireland, businesses have been legally required to display their rating sticker at the entrance since 2013 and 2016 respectively; in England display is voluntary - which is exactly why being able to look a rating up matters.

Worth being clear about: a rating is a snapshot of what an officer found on the day, not a permanent verdict - and it measures hygiene, not how good the food tastes. A business with a low rating may have put things right the next week; one with a 5 still has to earn it at the next inspection. That's why the checker shows the date and any published response from the business alongside every rating, and why the sensible habit is to read all of it, not just the number.

Self-audit: would your business get a 5 today?

If you run a food business, the checker tells you where you stand publicly - this tells you where you'd stand if the officer walked in right now. Officers score penalty points across the three inspection areas, and the weakest area caps your overall rating. In practice it's "confidence in management" - the paperwork and training evidence - that most often drags an otherwise clean kitchen below a 5. Tick only the boxes that are reliably true, every day, not just on good days.

How to use the checker

Two ways in, depending on what you're trying to find out:

• See what's around you - on the "Near me" tab, tap "Use my location" (or enter a postcode) and every rated food business within a mile appears on the map, closest first. Pan the map and hit "Search this area" to explore anywhere in the UK.
• Look up a specific business - switch to "Search by name" and type the name; add a town or postcode if it's a common one. Chains return every branch, each rated separately.
• Read beyond the number - click any pin or result for the inspection date, the three scores explained, and any response the business has published about its rating.
• Follow the official record - every detail view links to the business's listing on food.gov.uk, so you can verify what you're seeing at source.

Two things you may notice: some businesses show "Awaiting inspection" or "Exempt" rather than a number - new businesses haven't been rated yet, and some low-risk premises are outside the scheme. And in Scotland you'll see Pass or Improvement Required rather than 0–5, because Scotland runs its own scheme.

How to get the most from it

• Check the date, not just the score. A 5 from last month and a 5 from two years ago are not the same evidence. The date is shown on every result.
• Use the three scores. "Generally satisfactory" on confidence in management with a clean kitchen tells a different story from the reverse - the breakdown shows where the weakness is.
• Check before you book. Wedding caterers, party venues, food vans, the takeaway you've never tried - if they serve food, they're on the register. Thirty seconds now beats a bad night later.
• Business owners: check your own listing. After an inspection, make sure the published rating is right. If it isn't, you can appeal within 21 days; if you've fixed problems, use your right to reply and request a re-rating visit.
• Scout your street. Zoom the map and use "Search this area" to see how your rating compares with every competitor around you - customers can see it, so you should know it.
• Aiming for a 5? Our free FHRS course walks through exactly what officers look for in each of the three areas, with checklists to run against your own business.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to improve your own rating?

The checker shows you the score; training is how you move it. "Confidence in management" is scored on the systems and training evidence behind your kitchen - and it caps your overall rating. Start with our free FHRS: how to get a 5 rating course, then make sure the team's certificates are current. Both courses below are EHO approved, City & Guilds Assured and CPD certified, and online with an instant certificate.