This scheme helps you choose where to eat or buy food by giving you clear information about the standards of business hygiene.
Search for food hygiene ratings
What are the different scores?
The scheme gives businesses a 5 to 0 rating that will be displayed in shop windows or online so you can make informed choices about where to buy or eat food.
The level of compliance determines a Business Food Hygiene Rating, ranging from the lowest score '0' - needing emergency improvement to the highest grade '5' - Very Good. Each business will receive a score.
All businesses should be able to reach the highest score of 5. In order to get the highest score, '5', businesses have to do well in all three elements. Those with a score of '0' are likely to perform poorly in all three elements and are likely to have a history of serious problems.
When a business does not reach the highest score, the food safety officer will explain to the owner or manager of the business what improvements are needed.
A new score is given every time the business is being inspected by a food safety officer from the business local authority. The frequency of these inspections depends on the potential public health risk, as it was assessed in the last inspection. The assessment depends on:
- the type of food that is being treated
- number of customers
- the type of processes that are carried out before the food is sold or served
- the hygiene standards found on the day
Higher risk businesses are more frequently inspected than lower risk businesses, e.g. a small retailer selling a variety of packaged foods in advance.
The period between inspections varies from six months for the highest risk business to two years for lower risk businesses. For some businesses that pose a very low risk, the period between inspections may be longer than two years.
To focus on businesses with lower hygiene standards, each local authority plans a program of inspections each year. Each local authority is responsible for a diverse number of food businesses so the program is designed to ensure that they inspect and score the food sites that most pose the greatest risk to human health.
Between inspections, local authorities can also monitor businesses in other ways to ensure they maintain hygiene standards at all times. If these checks reveal anything that may indicate that standards of hygiene have deteriorated, the officer will conduct an inspection and the business will receive a new score.
If the local authority receives a complaint or new information about a business that is not on the inspection timetable, which suggests that hygiene standards are not maintained, the local authority will investigate and can inspect the business and give the business a new hygiene rating.
If you do not believe that your business's status is fair or you wish to discuss your status, contact the officer who made the inspection in the first place.
If they can not resolve the matter, you can appeal by filling in our online form below. Appeals must be made within 21 days of receipt of the food hygiene inspection report.
The appeal will be considered by an officer of the authority, who was not part of the original assessment of the food hygiene rating that is being appealed.
The appeal will be determined by the local authority and they will inform the business of the outcome within 21 days of receiving the appeal.
During the period of the appeals process, no sticker should be displayed and it should not be referred to in any advertising material, on a website etc.
Submit an appeal - the link opens a new tab.
Open the form using a supported web browser such as Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox.
Businesses have a "Right of Response." This means that a business can comment on the score given to them.These representations must be submitted in writing to the Council by completing a right of response form.
The form should be sent to the Chief Environmental Health Officer (Food) who will arrange for the comments to be published on the Food Standards Agency website, together with the score.
As the operator of a food business you have a right, under Section 12 of the Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013, to request at any time an inspection for the purposes of re-rating, provided that you have paid the reasonable costs of the re-rating in accordance with Section 13 of the Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013 (unless the food authority has not required payment of those costs in advance as provided for in section 12(6) of the Act, in which case the costs may be paid after the re-rating inspection has been completed) and the following conditions have been met.
1. any appeal against the current food hygiene rating has been determined
2. you have notified the food authority of improvements made to hygiene standards at the establishment
3. the food authority considers it reasonable to further inspect and assess the establishment in view of the improvements said to have been made
4. the current food hygiene rating sticker is displayed at your establishment in accordance with the requirement of Section 7 of the Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013 and regulation 9 of the Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Regulation 2013
5. you have agreed to ensure that the food authority will be given access to carry out an inspection of the establishment for the purpose of re-rating.
The local authority officer will give you a food hygiene rating based on the level of compliance that is found at the time of the re-visit - you should be aware that your rating could go up, down or remain the same.
To make a request for a revisit, please use our online form below.
The re- rating visit will take place within 3 months of the request being made and will usually be made without prior notification.
Once an application has been received and we have begun processing your submission, a fee refund will not be provided.
Request a re-rating inspection - the link opens a new tab.
Open the form using a supported web browser such as Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox.