UK Food Hygiene Ratings 2.2

Have you ever noticed the food hygiene sticker in a restaurant's window indicating a perfect score of 5 out of 5? While reassuring, it's important to note that in most parts of the UK, displaying food hygiene ratings is not mandatory. This lack of transparency means you could unknowingly dine at a place with a subpar rating of 1.

Unlike establishments proudly showcasing a top rating, businesses like restaurants, takeaways, cafes, or bars are unlikely to highlight a low rating of 1.

The UK Food Hygiene app aims to empower consumers in making informed dining choices by providing quick and easy access to the Food Standards Agency's rating information. The recent additions of an Apple Watch app and iMessage app enhance user convenience.

The key features of the app include live FSA information covering the entire UK, support for the FHRS Scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as the FHIS Scheme in Scotland. Users benefit from a notification center widget for swift information retrieval, robust search functionalities, social media sharing options, comprehensive local authority statistics and charts which are distinct features not found in other hygiene apps, customer reviews and ratings where available, a favorites list with automatic update checks and alerts, as well as recall and allergy notifications issued by the FSA.

The notification center widget conveniently displays ratings of nearby businesses based on your current location, saving you the effort of manual searches within the app.

Within the app itself, users can conduct detailed searches using various criteria such as business name, street, town or postcode (including current location), business type, local authority, and rating. Additionally, users can share results on Facebook and Twitter, receive directions to the business, and perform further searches on Google or Yelp.

The app presents ratings ranging from 0 to 5 for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and includes Pass, Pass Eat Safe, and Improvement Required ratings for Scotland.

The app operates under the Open Government Licence v3.0 using data directly from the Food Standards Agency. If any discrepancies are discovered in the data, users are advised to contact the relevant local authority or visit food.gov.uk or foodstandards.gov.scot for additional information.