Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

Food Hygiene Rating is primarily an informational website. You do not need to create an account or provide personal information to search or browse the food hygiene information available on the site.

When you use the website, certain technical information may be processed automatically. This can include information such as your IP address, browser and device information, pages requested, and the date and time of requests.

Some of this information may be contained within standard server logs and used for purposes such as operating the website, maintaining security, diagnosing technical problems and preventing abuse.

If you consent to analytics, additional information about how you use the website may be collected through Google Analytics, as explained below.

Cookies

Food Hygiene Rating uses cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies may be strictly necessary for the operation, functionality or security of the website. These do not require your consent where they are genuinely necessary to provide the service.

With your consent, we also use analytics cookies to help us understand how visitors use Food Hygiene Rating.

You can choose whether to accept non-essential cookies through the cookie controls provided on the website. You can also withdraw or change your consent at any time using those controls.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google, to help us understand how visitors use Food Hygiene Rating.

Subject to your consent, Google Analytics may collect information about your use of the website, such as:

• pages you visit;
• how you arrived at the website;
• interactions with pages and features;
• approximate geographic information;
• browser, device and operating system information; and
• the dates, times and duration of visits.

We use this information to understand how the website is being used, identify areas for improvement and measure the performance of our content.

Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect and process this information.

Google may process information collected through Google Analytics in accordance with its own privacy policies and terms.

Analytics will only be activated where you have provided the necessary consent.

Food Hygiene Information

The food business information displayed on Food Hygiene Rating is derived from publicly available data published by the Food Standards Agency.

Some records may include information relating to individuals, particularly where a food business operates under an individual's name or from an address associated with an individual.

We display this information as part of our provision of publicly available food hygiene information. For more information about the source of this information, please see our Our Data page.

How We Use Information

Where we process technical or personal information in connection with operating the website, we may use it to:

• provide and maintain the website;
• understand how visitors use the website where analytics consent has been provided;
• improve the content, functionality and performance of the website;
• protect the website and our systems from fraud, abuse and security threats;
• investigate errors and technical problems;
• respond to enquiries or requests you send to us; and
• comply with our legal obligations.

We do not sell personal information to third parties.

Legal Basis for Processing

Where we use non-essential analytics technologies, we rely on your consent.

For certain other processing necessary to operate, protect and maintain the website, we may rely on our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

We may also process information where necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

How Long We Keep Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including where retention is required for security, operational or legal purposes.

Information contained within technical and server logs may be retained for a limited period for security, troubleshooting and website administration purposes.

Information collected through Google Analytics is retained in accordance with the retention settings we have configured within Google Analytics.

Third-Party Services and Links

We use third-party service providers to help operate Food Hygiene Rating. These may process limited information where necessary to provide their services to us.

These services include Google Analytics, provided by Google, where you have consented to analytics.

Food Hygiene Rating may also contain links to websites operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites, and you should review their own privacy information when visiting them.

Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law gives you rights in relation to your personal information. These may include the right to request access to your information, ask for inaccurate information to be corrected, request deletion or restriction of processing, object to certain processing, and withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

Not all rights apply in every circumstance.

If you believe that Food Hygiene Rating is displaying personal information about you incorrectly, or you have another privacy-related request, please contact us.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, including where we change how the website operates or introduce new services.

The latest version will always be published on this page.

Last updated: September 2026

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how information is handled by Food Hygiene Rating, please contact us.