More than 300 food businesses moved from a rating of 3 or 4 to the maximum food hygiene rating of 5 in our latest weekly analysis.
Across 1,157 rating changes detected in the latest update, 633 businesses moved upwards. Of those, 428 finished with a rating of 5 — and 334 had previously been rated either 3 or 4.
Businesses moving from a rating of 3 or 4 accounted for around 78% of all businesses reaching a rating of 5 in this week's data.
Businesses Moving from 3 to 5
A move from a rating of 3 to 5 represents a two-point increase and was recorded by 86 businesses in the latest data. Here are some of the businesses reaching the maximum rating this week.
Ahaa Dosa
HounslowAhaa Dosa on Staines Road moved from a food hygiene rating of 3 to the maximum rating of 5.
View food hygiene ratingCaribbean Spice & Jerk Ltd
SouthamptonCaribbean Spice & Jerk Ltd in Bedford Place was another business reaching a rating of 5 from a previous rating of 3.
View food hygiene ratingAramark @ Whitchurch High School Lower
CardiffThe catering operation at Whitchurch High School Lower moved from 3 to 5, contributing to a particularly positive set of rating movements across Cardiff.
View food hygiene ratingSIX BY NICO, BIRMINGHAM
BirminghamSIX BY NICO, BIRMINGHAM on Colmore Row moved from a rating of 3 to the maximum rating of 5.
View food hygiene ratingVale of York (Bar)
North YorkshireVale of York (Bar) moved from 3 to 5. Its individual scores also improved from 10 to 0 for hygienic food handling, 10 to 0 for structural compliance and 10 to 0 for confidence in management.
View food hygiene rating248 Businesses Make the Final Step from 4 to 5
The most common route to the top rating this week was from 4 to 5. A total of 248 businesses made that final step, including restaurants, cafés, takeaways, pubs, retailers and other food premises.
- Caffe Nero — Hounslow
- Malvern Tavern — Southampton
- Las Iguana Cardiff — Cardiff
- Bao — Southwark
- The Cavan Bakery Ltd — Richmond upon Thames
- The Courtyard Bar — North Yorkshire
For these businesses, a move from 4 to 5 represents reaching the highest possible headline rating under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.
Where Were Food Hygiene Ratings Improving?
There were also some clear local hotspots for positive rating movement. To avoid very small numbers distorting the results, we've focused on local authority areas where at least nine rating changes were detected during the latest update.
| Local authority area | Rating changes | Improvements | Improvement rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hounslow | 9 | 9 | 100% |
| Southampton | 9 | 9 | 100% |
| Cardiff | 10 | 9 | 90% |
| Havering | 9 | 8 | 88.9% |
| Southwark | 9 | 8 | 88.9% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 10 | 8 | 80% |
| North Yorkshire | 14 | 11 | 78.6% |
| Birmingham | 58 | 41 | 70.7% |
Hounslow and Southampton: 9 Improvements from 9 Changes
Hounslow and Southampton produced the strongest positive results by proportion.
All nine rating changes detected in Hounslow were improvements, with all nine businesses moving from either a rating of 3 or 4 to a rating of 5.
Southampton produced the same result: nine changes, nine improvements and nine businesses finishing with a rating of 5.
Cardiff followed closely behind, with nine improvements from 10 changes, while Havering and Southwark each recorded eight improvements from nine.
Birmingham Records the Highest Number of Improvements
Birmingham generated the largest volume of activity among the areas highlighted this week, with 58 rating changes detected and 41 moving upwards.
More notably for this week's positive theme, 22 Birmingham businesses moved specifically from a rating of 3 or 4 to a rating of 5 — the highest number recorded by any local authority area in this week's data.
Check a Food Hygiene Rating
Search for a food business and view its latest headline rating, alongside the individual hygiene, structural and management scores where these are available.
Check a Food Hygiene RatingAbout the Data
This analysis is based on 1,157 food hygiene rating changes detected in our latest weekly monitoring update.
The figures represent changes identified in published Food Hygiene Rating Scheme data. They should not be interpreted as 1,157 inspections having taken place during the week, as local authorities can publish or update rating information at different times.
Local authority comparisons show the direction of the rating changes detected during this update. They are not rankings of overall food hygiene standards within each area.
