UK food hygiene rating data API

The data provides the food hygiene rating or inspection result given to a business and reflect the standards of food hygiene found on the date of inspection or visit by the local authority. Businesses include restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels and other places consumers eat, as well as supermarkets and other food shops.

The data are held on behalf of local authorities participating in either the:

• national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, or
• the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) in Scotland

Data for local authority areas running either of these schemes can be found on the Ratings site: See a list of local authorities running the FHRS or FHIS

The scores part of the data is only applicable to scheme type FHRS (not FHIS) and are for hygiene, structure and confidence in management. These scores can be found in part 2 and 3 of Annex 1, A1.1 of the Food Law code of Practice. These scores are then used to calculate the food hygiene rating details of which can be found in the Guidance on implementation and operation of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme: the Brand Standard and statutory guidance. When a rescore is uploaded by a local authority the scores of hygiene, structure and confidence in management will not be available in the data.

Where the establishment is in operation from a private address the address and geocoding data may not be available.

The LocalAuthorityBusinessID is provided by the local authority and is unique for that particular local authority data but could also be used by other local authorities. The FHRSID is system-generated and is unique in the data. It is based on the LocalAuthorityBusinessID and the LocalAuthorityCode.

Where a new LocalAuthorityBusinessID is uploaded to the system by a local authority, a new FHRSID is generated. If a LocalAuthorityBusinessID is reused, for example for a new registration, the FHRSID will be retained for the establishment. Please note some local authorities use their database as a business database whereas others use an establishment database, therefore some local authorities will recycle the LocalAuthorityBusinessID where others will not.

There are circumstances where the LocalAuthorityBusinessID and FHRSID may change, such as local authorities changing databases or where local authorities have merged. Details of where this has occurred can be found on the FHRS status page. Other useful information can be found on this page such as data types for fields.

The business types and associated ID’s can be found at: api1-ratings.food.gov.uk/business-types/xml

Where Awaiting Publication is displayed instead of a rating, this is where the business has appealed their rating, and the local authority is in the process of determining the appeal.

NewRatingPending is displayed as true in the data where a local authority has uploaded new data for an establishment which is not yet published as this data is in the notification or appeals period. It will be published after these time periods have elapsed. Where this is displayed as false, no new data is in the workflow to be published.

Further information about the scheme can be found at https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/food-hygiene-rating-scheme

Status updates, usage advice and various other pieces of current information can be found at the System Status Page.

The API allows developers access to the underlying food hygiene rating data published at www.food.gov.uk/ratings. Developers can query XML files to return the geocoded data (longitude and latitude data are provided for food businesses). The XML data are updated daily and can be found below, grouped by local authority. Wales's local authority data can be output in English or Welsh.

The API can also be used to query the live system (the data are automatically updated as local authorities upload and publish data) and return data in XML and JSON formats.

Examples of how to use the API and information about the API can be found in the guidance document for developers:

• Read the API V1 guidance for developers (pdf 316KB, updated April 2024)
• Read the API V2 guidance for developers

The previous version of the online ratings has now been retired. Please use the images provided above.

• English language
• Welsh language

Food hygiene rating data, grouped by local authority, can be downloaded in XML format via the links below. The data, which can also be queried by the API, is updated daily.