Environmental problems Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

Standards of food hygiene - consumers

Eating out should be a pleasant, enjoyable and safe experience. The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) gives you important information on the food safety standards found by us at the last food inspection and allows you to make an informed and healthy choice of where to eat.

We can issue different food hygiene rating scores to businesses, with level zero being the lowest score and level five being the highest score given. For detailed information on how the FHRS is applied and operates please visit the Food Standards Agency website.

It is not yet a legal requirement in England that food business must display their rating score however you will see many businesses proudly displaying high scores of four or five and satisfactory scores of three but low scoring businesses will refrain from displaying scores zero - two, meaning you may not be aware of the poor standards that we have identified.

When a business has been awarded a low score of between zero and two, we work with the business to reach at least a satisfactory standard (level three food hygiene rating score), this is to ensure that the business does not continue to put customer’s health at risk. The actual rating score awarded to the business will not formally change until the business applies for a rescore visit. If the business does not apply then it will remain with the low score until its next programmed food inspection.

Please note: there can be temporary differences between the rating displayed at a business and the on-line rating for which there are valid reasons, such as: 

  • the business has appealed its latest rating and is awaiting the result; or
  • we are in the process of uploading the new rating to the FSA website; or
  • even if a business achieves the top rating there can be a short delay while we update the FSA website; we upload ratings at least every 28 days; or
  • if you cannot find a rating for business within Manchester, then it may be that no rating is available, as the specific business has not yet been inspected by us.

If you visit a business and no rating is displayed then you can ask a member of staff to provide information or an explanation as to why or if you check a rating via FHRS website and on arrival at the premises you notice that this does not match a rating sticker being displayed at the business then report it to us Food safety - report a problem and we investigate any differences.

Do not take a risk with your health. Next time you eat out check the food hygiene rating.

Food Hygiene Rating Scheme

Was this page helpful?

Fields marked * cannot be left blank

Feedback submitted to us on this form is monitored but you won’t receive a reply. In an emergency, visit our emergency contact details page. Please don't include any personal or financial information, for example your National Insurance or credit card numbers.