National food hygiene rating scheme
Information for consumers
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme gives you information about hygiene standards at places where you can eat out or buy food.
We run the scheme with the Food Standards Agency. You can use it to check ratings for restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels, supermarkets and other food shops.
Check a food hygiene rating
You can search for food hygiene ratings on the Food Standards Agency website.
You can search for ratings in Swindon and in other areas where the scheme runs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
How the scheme works
Environmental Health Officers inspect food businesses to check if they meet food hygiene law.
The inspection is unannounced. This means the business is not told about the visit before it happens.
During the inspection, the officer checks:
- how food is handled, including how it is prepared, cooked, reheated, cooled and stored
- the condition of the premises, including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and other facilities
- how the business manages food safety, including processes, training and systems to keep good hygiene standards
The officer uses this information to give the business a food hygiene rating. The rating also shows how confident the officer is that the business will keep meeting hygiene standards in future.
What the rating means
A business can get one of six food hygiene ratings shown in the table below.
The rating shows the hygiene standards found at the time of the last inspection.
It does not show the quality of the food or the standard of service.
| Rating display sticker or notice | Rating level | Description of rating |
|---|---|---|
 |
Level 5 | Very good |
 |
Level 4 | Good |
 |
Level 3 | Generally satisfactory |
 |
Level 2 | Improvement necessary |
 |
Level 1 | Major improvement necessary |
 |
Level 0 (zero) | Urgent improvement necessary |
Why food hygiene ratings matter
Food hygiene ratings help you choose where to eat or buy food.
They also recognise businesses with high hygiene standards and encourage others to improve.
The scheme aims to help reduce food poisoning. Food poisoning affects about one million people in the UK each year.
Which businesses are rated
The scheme covers businesses where you can eat or buy food, including:
- restaurants
- takeaways
- cafés
- sandwich shops
- pubs
- hotels
- supermarkets
- other retail food outlets
Some food businesses may be exempt from a rating if they are very low risk.
We still check these businesses, but they may not get a rating or a sticker.
Examples of exempt businesses include:
- chemist shops that only sell pre-packed food that does not need refrigeration
- visitor centres that only sell pre-packed food that does not need refrigeration
- childminders
- businesses that offer care services at home
Where ratings are displayed
Food businesses are given a window sticker showing their rating.
Businesses are encouraged to display the sticker where you can easily see it when you visit. Displaying the sticker is voluntary at the moment.
Report an unregistered food business
You can report a business if you think it is not registered for food hygiene.
Report an unregistered food business
Find out more
The Food Standards Agency explains how the national scheme works.