How the Yum Score works
The Yum Score is a single 0 to 100 number that summarises a venue's official food hygiene record. It is derived entirely from published Food Standards Agency inspection data. No user reviews, no paid placement, and every part of the formula is on this page.
The formula
| Component | Weight | How it is calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Official rating | 60 points | The FSA hygiene rating (0 to 5), scaled: rating ÷ 5 × 60. |
| Inspection detail | 25 points | The three inspection sub-scores (hygienic food handling, condition of facilities, management of food safety) are deduction-based: lower is better, 80 is the worst possible total. We scale: (1 − deductions ÷ 80) × 25. |
| Inspection recency | 15 points | Full points for inspections within the last 2 years, falling in a straight line to 0 points at 7 years. Older inspections tell you less about a kitchen today. |
Bands: 90 and above is Excellent, 75 to 89 is Strong, 60 to 74 is Adequate, 40 to 59 is Poor, and below 40 is Serious concerns.
Edge cases, handled honestly
- Missing sub-scores. Some local authorities do not publish the three sub-scores. In that case the 25 detail points are folded into the official rating (rating ÷ 5 × 85), so venues stay comparable.
- No numeric rating. Venues awaiting inspection, exempt venues and Scottish venues rated under the pass-based FHIS scheme do not receive a Yum Score.
- Rating stability. We check every venue nightly and record rating changes. Once enough history has accumulated, a stability component will join the formula, and this page will be updated first.
What the Yum Score is not
It is not an official Food Standards Agency mark, and it says nothing about food taste or service. It is our transparent arithmetic on top of the official inspection record, designed to make one inspection easier to read at a glance and two venues easier to compare. The underlying official data is always shown alongside it, and you can read more about where that data comes from on our data source page.