Primary source
Food hygiene data comes from the Food Standards Agency FHRS/FHIS API at ratings.food.gov.uk. The API is free and currently requires no registration. It covers participating local-authority records across England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
Licence and attribution
Food hygiene ratings information is used under the Open Government Licence, subject to the Food Standards Agency terms. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. FoodStart Radar is independent and is not endorsed by the FSA or any local authority.
Accuracy requirement
Ratings change as authorities publish updates. Displaying an invalid or inaccurate rating can create legal risk. Every record links to the official source, synchronization time is displayed, and users must verify the current source before publication or outreach.
No protected branding
The service does not reproduce the FSA logo or rating brand imagery. Any later use of scheme images requires compliance with the relevant brand standard and terms.
Storage design
A dedicated directory database holds a current, minimised working record and hashes needed for change detection. Customer, billing and workflow data are stored separately. Optional raw archives are disabled by default and require a documented retention decision before activation.
Corrections
If a record appears incorrect, check the official FSA page first. Source corrections belong with the FSA or relevant local authority; platform-specific issues can be reported to digidentAI@proton.me.