Food hygiene ratings

The Food Standards Agency is from today (14 October 2022) updating the way you can access the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) application programming interface (API) version 1 (v1).

If you use FHRS API v1 you will need to switch over to the new domain name (api1-ratings.food.gov.uk). The rest of the existing URL structure will stay the same, the only change is to the domain name.

For example, if you currently use API v1 to receive data for the business type ‘schools/college/universities’, you could use the URL https://ratings.food.gov.uk/enhanced-search/en-GB/%5E/%5E/Relevance/7845/%5E/%5E/0/1/10/xml

This will change to https://api1-ratings.food.gov.uk/enhanced-search/en-GB/%5E/%5E/Relevance/7845/%5E/%5E/0/1/10/xml

Please note that any bookmarks or links you have saved will need to be updated.

You can continue to access the API using the current domain (ratings.food.gov.uk) until March 2023.

We are making this change as part of our service infrastructure modernisation.

About the FHRS API v1

The application programming interface allows developers access to the underlying food hygiene rating data published at www.ratings.food.gov.uk.

Please email data@food.gov.uk if you have any queries.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme public website has seen high levels of traffic since February, peaking around the start of the COVID lockdown. As a result the FSA introduced traffic throttling on 19th March in order to reduce the risk of service outages that affect all users. The throttling rate is variable, being dependent on the currently operational environment, but likely to be significantly higher than 1/s. If you are sending requests at volume and seeing Http 403 errors, this is the likely cause.

The establishmentIDs and FHRSIDs for establishments uploaded by Derbyshire Dales (local authority code 070) will change, this is due to the council changing databases and being unable to use the same establishmentIDs. Derbyshire Dales plan to upload the new establishmentIDs which generates the FHRSIDs on 7th June 2023.

The establishmentIDs and FHRSIDs for establishments uploaded by Broadland (local authority code 228) changed on 17th April 2023, this was due to the council changing databases and being unable to use the same establishmentIDs, which generates the FHRSIDs.

On 3rd April 2023 the following local authority merger will take place. This is represented in the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme open data as follows:

• Barrow-in-Furness (local authority code 056) and
• Eden (local authority code 059) and
• South Lakeland (local authority code 060)

...merged to become Westmorland and Furness (local authority code 056).

Once the local authorities have merged their databases they will upload a single file, and establishments which were uploaded to the old accounts will change their FHRSID number.

All local authorities operating the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and Food Hygiene Information Scheme can be found at https://ratings.food.gov.uk/authorities/xml. This file will also be amended when the changes have been implemented.

On 3rd April 2023 the following local authority merger will take place. This is represented in the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme open data as follows:

• Allerdale (local authority code 055) and
• Carlisle City (local authority code 057) and
• Copeland (local authority code 058)

...merged to become Cumberland (local authority code 055).

Once the local authorities have merged their databases they will upload a single file, and establishments which were uploaded to the old accounts will change their FHRSID number.

All local authorities operating the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and Food Hygiene Information Scheme can be found at https://ratings.food.gov.uk/authorities/xml. This file will also be amended when the changes have been implemented.

On 3rd April 2023 the following local authority merger will take place. This is represented in the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme open data as follows:

• Mendip (local authority code 281) and
• Sedgemoor (local authority code 282) and
• South Somerset (local authority code 283) and
• Somerset West and Taunton (local authority code 284)

...merged to become Somerset (local authority code 281).

Once the local authorities have merged their databases they will upload a single file, and establishments which were uploaded to the old accounts will change their FHRSID number.

All local authorities operating the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and Food Hygiene Information Scheme can be found at https://ratings.food.gov.uk/authorities/xml. This file will also be amended when the changes have been implemented.

On 3rd April 2023 the following local authority merger will take place. This is represented in the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme open data as follows:

• Craven (local authority code 250) and
• Hambleton (local authority code 251) and
• Harrogate (local authority code 252) and
• Richmondshire (local authority code 253) and
• Ryedale (local authority code 254) and
• Scarborough (local authority code 255) and
• Selby (local authority code 256)

...merged to become North Yorkshire (local authority code 250).

Once the local authorities have merged their databases they will upload a single file, and establishments which were uploaded to the old accounts will change their FHRSID number.

All local authorities operating the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and Food Hygiene Information Scheme can be found at https://ratings.food.gov.uk/authorities/xml. This file will also be amended when the changes have been implemented.

As a trial, the FSA is making the Open Data Files available in JSON format.

To download files in JSON format, simply replace the .xml file extension in Urls with .json. For example, for the Babergh Local Authority:

https://ratings.food.gov.uk/OpenDataFiles/FHRS297en-GB.xml
...becomes...
https://ratings.food.gov.uk/OpenDataFiles/FHRS297en-GB.json

The establishmentIDs and FHRSIDs for establishments uploaded by Cannock Chase District Council (local authority code 287) will change, this is due to the council changing database and being unable to use the same establishmentIDs.

Cannock Chase District Council plan to upload the new establishmentIDs, which generate the FHRSIDs, on 1st June 2020.

The establishmentIDs and FHRSIDs for establishments uploaded by East Staffordshire Borough Council (local authority code 288) and Lichfield District Council (local authority code 289) will change, this is due to the council changing database and being unable to use the same establishmentIDs.

East Staffordshire and Litchfield plan to upload the new establishmentIDs, which generate the FHRSIDs, on 5th May 2020.

On 1st April 2020 the following local authority merger took place. This is represented in the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme open data as follows:

• Aylesbury Vale (local authority code 021)
• Chiltern (local authority code 022)
• South Buckinghamshire (local authority code 024) and
• Wycombe (local authority code 025)

...merged to become Buckinghamshire (local authority code 021).

Once the local authorities have merged their databases they will upload a single file, and establishments which were uploaded to the old accounts will change their FHRSID number.

All local authorities operating the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and Food Hygiene Information Scheme can be found at https://ratings.food.gov.uk/authorities/xml This file will also be amended when the changes have been implemented.