Liam Jones
Founder, Pilla App
Live stream will appear here
Learn how food hygiene rating systems work and how to achieve a top score, build your approach into your food safety system with Pilla, and use AI to stay ahead.
Join Liam Jones, founder of Pilla and a qualified food safety consultant, for a session on food hygiene ratings.
Understand
Your food hygiene rating is one of the most visible indicators of your business's standards. Understanding how inspectors assess you, and what separates a top score from an average one, is essential for any food business that wants to build customer trust and stay ahead of competitors.
Rating scales differ around the world. The UK uses a 0-5 numeric scale, New York City uses letter grades (A/B/C), Australia uses star ratings, and Denmark uses a smiley system. While the scales differ, inspectors everywhere assess the same three fundamentals: food handling, premises condition, and management systems. Inspectors evaluate food handling practices (storage, preparation, cooking, cross-contamination), premises condition (cleanliness, maintenance, pest control, hand washing facilities), and management systems (documented FSMS, temperature records, cleaning schedules, staff training, allergen controls). The "confidence in management" category carries significant weight in the UK.
Inspection frequency is risk-based. In the UK, higher-risk businesses are inspected at least every 6 months, while lower-risk businesses may go up to 3 years between visits. Previous performance also matters, as poor scores lead to more frequent inspections. Display requirements vary by location and are mandatory in Wales, Northern Ireland, and New York City, but voluntary in England. If you disagree with your score, you can appeal within 21 days or request a paid re-inspection after making genuine, sustainable improvements. Staff training, systematic record keeping, premises maintenance, and consistent daily practices are the four pillars. Businesses that maintain high standards every day will naturally score well when inspectors arrive unannounced.
Apply
See how food hygiene rating preparation fits into your wider food safety management system in Pilla. We walk through how to build this into your system so that your team has clear processes, accountability, and a documented trail that proves compliance.
Automate
Learn how AI can speed up this process and connect Pilla to your other tools, giving you a much more joined up system across your business.
Bring your questions , we'll be answering them live throughout.