Rating: Urgent Improvement Necessary
882 establishments with this rating
What Does Food Hygiene Rating 0 Mean?
A food hygiene rating of 0 means Urgent Improvement Necessary. This is the lowest possible rating and indicates that the business has very poor food hygiene standards that pose a potential risk to public health.
Businesses rated 0 have been found to have critical failures in food hygiene. There may be immediate risks such as serious pest infestations, cross-contamination hazards, inappropriate food storage temperatures, or a complete lack of food safety management.
What Inspectors Look For
A rating of 0 results from the highest penalty scores across one or more inspection areas. The local authority will take action to ensure improvements are made urgently, which may include formal enforcement notices, prosecution, or even closure if there is an imminent risk to health.
What happens when a restaurant gets a food hygiene rating of 0?
When a business receives a rating of 0, the local authority will require urgent improvements and may take enforcement action. This can include serving hygiene improvement notices, issuing emergency prohibition notices (forced closure), or prosecuting the business owners. The business can request a re-inspection once improvements have been made.
Can a restaurant stay open with a 0 food hygiene rating?
In England and Wales, there is currently no legal requirement to close based on the rating number alone. However, if inspectors find an imminent risk to health, they can issue an emergency prohibition notice to close the business immediately. In Northern Ireland, displaying the rating is mandatory.