UK Food Hygiene Statistics

Overview of food hygiene standards across 611,343 registered food businesses in the United Kingdom.

By Country

Country Authorities Businesses
England 298 500,734
Northern Ireland 11 16,947
Scotland 32 58,760
Wales 22 34,116

Understanding Food Hygiene Ratings

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) helps consumers choose where to eat out or shop for food by giving them clear information about hygiene standards. Businesses are rated from 0 to 5:

5 - Very Good
4 - Good
3 - Satisfactory
2 - Improvement
1 - Major Improvement
0 - Urgent

What gets inspected?

Food safety officers assess three areas during an inspection:

  • Hygienic food handling - how food is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored
  • Structural compliance - the condition of the structure of the building, cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities
  • Confidence in management - how the business manages and documents what it does to make sure food is safe

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