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CLEANLINESS & CONDITION

Score 15 — Improvement necessary

A score of 15 indicates that improvement is necessary in the cleanliness and condition of your premises and facilities at the time of your assessment.

At this level, the food safety officer has identified some major non-compliance with structural food hygiene requirements and some significant food safety risks. The priority is to address the specific cleaning, repair, maintenance, facility or premises issues identified during your inspection within the timescales given.

15
IMPROVEMENT NECESSARY Corrective action is required
✓

Review every issue raised during your inspection

✓

Address cleaning, repair, facility and premises issues

✓

Complete required actions within the timescales given

i
Remember: Component scores work in the opposite direction to your overall food hygiene rating. For component scores, lower is better. A score of 15 is Improvement necessary, while Score 0 represents Very good.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCORE

What does a Cleanliness & Condition score of 15 mean?

A score of 15 means that improvement is necessary in the cleanliness and condition of your premises and facilities.

At this level, the food safety officer has identified some major non-compliance with structural food hygiene requirements and some significant food safety risks. This is a clear step up from Score 10, where structural problems may be more limited.

The priority is now to understand the specific cleaning, repair, maintenance, facility or premises issues identified during your inspection and complete the required corrective actions within any timescales given.

Cleanliness and condition in commercial food premises
WHAT THE SCORE TELLS YOU

Some major structural non-compliance has been identified

This is more than a minor repair or isolated cleaning shortcoming. FSA guidance describes Score 15 as involving some major non-compliance with structural food hygiene requirements, meaning corrective work is required.

FOOD SAFETY RISK

Some significant risks have been identified

Poor cleaning, damaged surfaces, unsuitable facilities, poor layout, pest activity or inadequate waste arrangements can make contamination more likely or make it harder to maintain hygienic conditions around food preparation and storage.

HOW THIS AFFECTS YOUR OVERALL RATING

A component score of 15 limits your overall FHRS rating

Your overall Food Hygiene Rating is calculated using all three component scores, but the highest individual component score also affects the result.

Because a score of 15 has been awarded for Cleanliness & Condition, your overall rating cannot be higher than 2 — Improvement necessary, even if your other two component scores are lower.

Your actual overall rating could be lower than 2 depending on your Hygienic Food Handling score, Management of Food Safety score and the combined total of all three scores.

15
COMPONENT SCORE Cleanliness & Condition
MAXIMUM OVERALL RATING
2
OVERALL FHRS RATING Improvement necessary

Your inspection findings matter most. A Score 15 tells you the level of structural compliance, but not which particular problems were found. The next section shows examples associated with this score; your own inspection report should be used to identify the actions that actually apply to your premises.

WHAT MAY NEED ATTENTION

What could be going wrong — and what should you do next?

A Cleanliness & Condition score of 15 can result from different structural problems, so there is no single checklist that explains every business's result. The examples below are based on issues described in FSA guidance for this score.

Use them to understand the type of food safety risks that may be involved, but always compare them with the findings made during your own inspection.

EXAMPLE 01

Cleaning of premises & equipment

What could be going wrong?

Significant improvement may be needed in the standard of structural or equipment cleaning. There may be areas of significant dirt, grease or food debris rather than an isolated missed cleaning task.

Why it matters

Poorly cleaned surfaces and equipment can allow dirt and contamination to build up and can increase the risk of contamination being transferred to food, utensils or food-contact surfaces.

What to review

Review walls, floors, equipment, fittings, storage areas and difficult to access places as well as obvious food-contact surfaces. Check whether cleaning methods, frequency and responsibility are adequate.

EXAMPLE 02

Maintenance, repair & damaged surfaces

What could be going wrong?

The premises or equipment may need significant maintenance or repair. FSA guidance gives damaged work surfaces as an example of the type of major structural non-compliance that may be seen at this score.

Why it matters

Damaged, rough or deteriorating surfaces can be difficult to clean effectively and may allow dirt or contamination to accumulate in areas that should be capable of being kept hygienic.

What to review

Inspect work surfaces, walls, floors, ceilings, shelving, doors and equipment. Identify damage, deterioration or defects that prevent effective cleaning or hygienic operation.

EXAMPLE 03

Hand & equipment washing facilities

What could be going wrong?

Significant improvements may be required to handwashing or equipment-washing facilities. Facilities may be unsuitable, inadequately equipped, poorly positioned or not working properly.

Why it matters

If staff cannot wash their hands or clean equipment effectively, contamination can be transferred between hands, utensils, equipment and food.

What to review

Check that the required sinks and wash-hand basins are available, accessible and working correctly, with suitable supplies and facilities for the type of food operation being carried out.

EXAMPLE 04

Layout & separation

What could be going wrong?

FSA guidance identifies poor design or layout that could lead to cross-contamination and compromise food safety as an example at this level.

Why it matters

A poorly arranged workspace can bring raw food, ready-to-eat food, dirty equipment or waste into close contact and make safe separation much harder to maintain.

What to review

Look at how food, staff, equipment and waste move through the premises. Review whether raw and ready-to-eat activities can be adequately separated and whether the layout supports hygienic working.

EXAMPLE 05

Pest activity & waste arrangements

What could be going wrong?

Evidence of pest activity or inadequate waste-disposal provision is another example identified in FSA guidance for a structural Score 15.

Why it matters

Pests can contaminate food, packaging and surfaces, while poorly controlled waste can attract pests, create unhygienic conditions and make effective cleaning more difficult.

What to review

Check for signs of pest activity, possible entry points, pest-control records, internal and external waste areas, bins, storage arrangements and the frequency of waste removal.

YOUR FINDINGS COME FIRST

Your inspection report is now your action plan

The examples above can help you understand a Score 15, but they cannot tell you which structural problems were found at your premises.

At this level, your inspection report, letter or written findings should become the basis of your corrective-action plan. Work through every cleaning, repair, facility, layout, pest or other structural issue raised rather than trying to improve the score using general advice alone.

1

List every required action

Separate each non-compliance identified by the officer and record exactly what cleaning, repair, maintenance or other corrective work needs to be completed.

2

Record the timescale

Check your inspection findings for stipulated completion dates or instructions. Prioritise work according to the food safety risk and any timescale given by your local authority.

3

Keep evidence of completion

Where appropriate, retain photographs, cleaning records, invoices, maintenance or repair records, pest-control reports and other evidence showing what was completed and when.

A follow-up revisit is important at this score

In England, a structural compliance score of 15 or higher triggers a required food-hygiene revisit under the Food Law Code of Practice. The revisit should focus on the non-compliances identified previously, and its timing depends on the severity of those problems and the action taken following the original inspection.

Follow any deadlines or instructions given by your local authority. Do not wait for the revisit before completing cleaning, repairs or other corrective work that has already been identified as necessary.

TURN FINDINGS INTO ACTION

Common corrective actions — and why they help

The correct action depends on what your officer found. These examples show practical responses to some of the structural issues associated with this component score.

Restore the required cleaning standard

Thoroughly clean the affected areas, review difficult-to-clean locations and update cleaning frequencies or responsibilities where the existing routine has not been sufficient.

Why this helps: Removes existing contamination and reduces the chance of dirt, grease or food debris building up again.

Repair or replace damaged surfaces

Repair deteriorating floors, walls, work surfaces, fittings or equipment and replace materials that can no longer be kept hygienically.

Why this helps: Smooth, sound and well-maintained surfaces are easier to clean effectively and less likely to harbour contamination.

Restore suitable washing facilities

Repair or improve wash-hand basins, sinks and associated supplies so staff can wash hands and clean equipment properly when required.

Why this helps: Supports effective hand hygiene and equipment cleaning and reduces opportunities for contamination to spread.

Address layout-related risks

Where layout contributes to cross-contamination risk, change the position, sequence or separation of activities and equipment where practicable.

Why this helps: Makes it easier to keep incompatible activities apart and maintain hygienic working practices during normal operation.

Deal with pest and waste problems

Investigate pest activity promptly, carry out necessary proofing and treatment, and correct inadequate bin, waste-storage or collection arrangements.

Why this helps: Reduces contamination risk and removes conditions that can attract or support pest activity.

Introduce routine premises checks

Regularly inspect cleaning standards, surfaces, equipment, facilities, pest proofing and waste areas so deterioration is identified before it becomes a more serious problem.

Why this helps: Turns one-off corrective work into an ongoing system for maintaining the condition of your premises.
Correct the cause, not only the visible defect

Cleaning an area once or making an isolated repair may solve the immediate problem, but consider why the issue developed. Where needed, strengthen cleaning routines, maintenance arrangements, premises checks or responsibility for reporting defects so the same problem does not return.

Strengthen your food handling controls

Explore practical products to help improve and support good food handling practices, from personal hygiene and temperature monitoring to cross-contamination controls.

Use these alongside the specific actions identified during your inspection to help strengthen weaker areas and work towards a Very good standard.

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FOLLOW-UP READINESS

Before the follow-up: can you show the work has been completed?

Once corrective work has been carried out, make sure you can demonstrate what was changed, when it was completed and whether the premises are now being maintained to the improved standard.

✓

Can you account for every point in the inspection findings?

Each cleaning, repair, maintenance, facility, pest or other structural issue should be clearly completed or still shown as outstanding. Make sure nothing has simply disappeared from your action list.

✓

Have you recorded when the work was completed?

Keep a simple record of completion dates, particularly where your food safety officer gave a timescale or deadline for cleaning, repairs or other corrective work.

✓

Can you provide evidence where appropriate?

Useful evidence could include before-and-after photographs, cleaning records, maintenance invoices, repair records, pest-control reports or other documents showing what work was completed.

✓

Are the improvements visible in normal operation?

Cleanliness, repairs, facilities and premises standards should remain satisfactory during day-to-day use — not only immediately after the corrective work was completed.

✓

Have you carried out your own premises check?

Revisit the affected areas after the corrective work and check that cleaning standards, repairs, facilities, pest proofing and other improvements are still being maintained.

✓

Do you know what is still outstanding?

If work has not yet been completed, keep it visible on your action plan. Record what remains to be done and continue to follow any instructions or timescales given by your local authority.

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