Food Hygiene information Scheme Scotland

In Scotland, all food outlets have to have a food hygiene inspection, which is undertaken by the Local Authority. Following this inspection, the food outlet will be given a Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) rating based on their inspection results.

What do the FHIS ratings mean?

There are three different ratings:

• Pass means they meet the legal requirements for food hygiene.
• Improvement Required means the business didn’t meet the legal requirements and needs to make improvements.

If a new business has been set up, or there is a new owner, it will not have a food hygiene rating. These businesses will be identifiable by their ‘Awaiting Inspection’ certificate or rating on our website.

Following the inspection by the Local Authority, businesses are provided with a certificate and/or sticker to display on their door or window to help consumers make informed choices about where they eat. Therefore, whether a business passed the inspection or needs to take steps to improve, it’s easy for you to see how they did in their most recent food hygiene inspection.

Some businesses may choose not to display their rating on their website or premises, but all ratings are displayed on the food standards Scotland website.

Scotland also run the Eat safe award

The Eat Safe Award makes it easy for consumers to know which restaurants, cafés, takeaways and food shops strive for exceptional food hygiene standards and go above and beyond the legal requirement.

The Award is open to all types of food outlets, from casual cafés to five star restaurants.  Outlets are assessed by their Local Authority Food Safety Officer for the award during their regular food hygiene inspections.