Food hygiene rating

Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

The aim of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is to provide information on hygiene standards to consumers in circumstances where they are making a choice about eating or purchasing food.

Certain businesses that supply food directly to consumers are, however, not given a rating because specific circumstances apply.

Exempt businesses include:

• low-risk establishments, such as newsagents, chemists shops (pre-packed confectionary or health foods only)
• businesses where food activity is only a small element of the food business
• certain establishments operating from private addresses (mainly childminders but also other caring services).

Businesses within the scope of the FHRS include:

• restaurants 
• cafes
• takeaways
• sandwich shops
• food retailers
• schools, nurseries and residential care homes
• cash and carry or wholesalers (where food is also supplied direct to consumers)
• other places (where people eat food prepared outside of the home).

Customers

Are you planning to eat out in the borough? 

See the rating given to restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels, supermarkets and other food business.

Check a business' food hygiene rating

Businesses

Your business will be given a hygiene rating following a planned inspection by a food safety officer.

Your hygiene rating depends on the standards of hygiene found at the time of the inspection, including:

• how hygienically the food is handled
• the condition of the structure of your premises
• how you manage and record what you do to make sure food is safe.

Appeals

If you think your hygiene rating is wrong or unfair, you must lodge an appeal within 21 days of being told what your hygiene rating is.

Complete the FHRS appeal form

The lead officer will review your rating and communicate the outcome of your appeal to you within 21 days.

Right to reply

If you have improved hygiene standards since your inspection, or if there were unusual circumstances at the time of the inspection and you want to explain this to your customers, complete a right to apply form.

Complete the FHRS right to apply form

Your submitted improvements will be published with your hygiene rating on the food hygiene rating website.

Request a re-visit inspection

If you have made improvements to your hygiene standards and completed all of the matters highlighted to you by the inspecting officer since your last inspection, you will need to supply evidence of these improvements in a request for a re-visit. 

Charges per re-rating inspection

• Ratings of 0, 1 and 2 - £340
• Ratings of 3 and 4 - £210

Important:

• Before completing the payment form below, you must email foodhealthandsafety@hillingdon.gov.uk to request a re-visit inspection.
• In your email request, please describe the remedial action you have taken with reference to the issues identified in the inspection letter/report (provided by us) with your score.
• If the evidence presented within your application is satisfactory, you will be provided with a SRU number, so that you can proceed to make your payment.

Pay for a re-visit inspection

Important: Your FHRS rating score may go up, stay the same, or could even go down, depending on the conditions found at the time of the visit.

Improving your rating

If you want to improve your rating, our How to get a good rating checklist (PDF) [56KB] will help you identify areas for improvement.

The Food Standards Agency website also provides business guidance on managing food hygiene and safety at every stage of the business.