A 5 is "very good" and a 4 is "good". Both mean the business met the standards well at its last inspection. A 3 is "generally satisfactory".
Food hygiene ratings explained
Customer · Updated yesterday
Contents
🧼 The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme gives food businesses a score from 0 to 5 after an inspection by their local council. Where a supplier's kitchen has a rating, you will find a link to it on their Nuento listing.
You have probably seen the green-and-black stickers in café windows. The same scheme covers mobile caterers, and it is one of the most useful independent checks you can make before booking. This article explains how it works and where to look.
How the scheme works
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is run by the Food Standards Agency together with local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A food safety officer inspects the business and rates three things: how hygienically food is handled, the condition of the premises, and how well food safety is managed and documented. The result is a single rating from 0 to 5.
| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
5 | Very good |
4 | Good |
3 | Generally satisfactory |
2 | Improvement necessary |
1 | Major improvement necessary |
0 | Urgent improvement necessary |
You may also see "Awaiting inspection" for a newly registered business that has not been visited yet, and "Exempt" for businesses where hygiene is a low risk and no rating is given.
Scotland is different
Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) instead of a 0–5 score. A business receives either "Pass" or "Improvement Required". A Pass means the business met the legal requirements at inspection.
Mobile caterers are rated at their base
A food truck does not have a shop front, so the inspection happens at the kitchen or unit where the business is registered, by that council. The rating therefore appears under the business's registered address, which may be a different town from the one your event is in. That is normal, and it is still the rating for the kitchen your food comes from.
Displaying the rating is mandatory in Wales and Northern Ireland and voluntary in England, so an English business without a sticker is not hiding anything. Every rating is public either way.
Where to look a business up
All ratings are published at ratings.food.gov.uk. Search by business name and town. Because mobile caterers are registered at their base, search by the business name rather than by your own postcode.
On Nuento, look for the "Food hygiene rating" link on the supplier's listing. It takes you straight to their entry. If a listing has no link yet, message the supplier from their page and ask; a professional caterer will know their rating.
Rating and certification are two different things
A food hygiene rating is the council's assessment of the business after an inspection. Food hygiene certification is training the people handling your food have completed. Nuento requires every supplier to hold food hygiene certification to be listed; the rating is the independent check on top. See How Nuento vets its suppliers.
Find a caterer you can check
Browse suppliers near you, then follow the food hygiene rating link on the listing before you book.