Food hygiene training · London

Food hygiene training across London

London does not have one food scene, it has thirty-three. Borough Market traders, Brick Lane curry houses, Chinatown kitchens, Southall sweet shops and office canteens all sit under different councils with different inspection backlogs. Good Food Hygiene trains staff online wherever they work in the capital, CPD-standard, in 14 languages, with the certificate issued as soon as they pass.

81,451 food businesses on the FSA register 68% of rated businesses hold a 5 Inspected by your borough council

A capital of small kitchens

The Food Standards Agency lists 81,451 food businesses in Greater London. Restaurants, cafés and canteens account for 27,234 of them, with 16,712 shops selling food, 9,420 takeaways and sandwich shops and 8,049 in other catering. That is more premises handling open food than anywhere else in the UK, and most of them are small.

Two groups get less attention than they should. There are 4,676 hospitals, nurseries and care homes and 3,496 schools, colleges and universities on the London list, feeding the people least able to shake off a bout of food poisoning; every handler in those kitchens needs food hygiene training and the supervisor needs supervisor training. And 2,596 mobile caterers and street food traders move between boroughs, which means moving between inspecting authorities. Add high rents, quick turnover and a workforce from everywhere, and training has to be fast to issue and easy to prove.

What the ratings say across the boroughs

Across the capital, 71,173 businesses have been inspected and rated. Of those, 48,637 hold a 5, which is 68.3%, a little below several northern cities. At the bottom, 3,977 sit on 0, 1 or 2, and 290 are on 0. Another 7,544 are waiting for a first inspection. Because each borough runs its own programme, the odds of an early visit depend on where you trade. The score itself covers hygiene, the condition of the premises and the officer’s confidence in your management, and trained staff is the quickest of the three to put right. (Food Standards Agency ratings data, September 2026.)

Hygiene ratings in London

Rated 548,63768.3%
Rated 412,59517.7%
Rated 35,9648.4%
Rated 22,0042.8%
Rated 11,6832.4%
Rated 02900.4%

71,173 premises with a published result; a further 7,544 are registered but awaiting their first inspection.

What kind of food businesses

Restaurants, cafés and canteens27,234
Shops selling food16,712
Takeaways and sandwich shops9,420
Other catering8,049
Hospitals, nurseries and care homes4,676
Pubs, bars and clubs3,868

Source: Food Standards Agency ratings data, September 2026, for all 33 London boroughs. Figures move as new inspections are published. A rating is the inspector's decision and Good Food Hygiene cannot predict it.

There is no London-wide food authority

London has no single food authority. Each borough, plus the City of London Corporation, employs its own environmental health officers and runs its own inspection programme: 33 separate teams. You register with the borough you actually trade in, at least 28 days before opening. Registration is free and cannot be refused, and if you trade from a van you register with the borough where the vehicle is kept. If you are not sure which team covers you, start from www.london.gov.uk and follow the link to your borough. Displaying the sticker is voluntary in England, though most London customers check the score on their phone first.

Training for London kitchens, online

Ten CPD-standard courses from £15: Food Hygiene Levels 1 to 3, HACCP, Food Allergy Awareness, Health & Safety, First Aid, Manual Handling, COSHH and Equality & Diversity. Every course is complete in 14 languages, works on a phone, and ends with a certificate the inspector can check online. There is a free taster of each, so a London business can try one before training the whole team.

The paid courses are with CPD for accreditation review and are not yet open to new enrolments. The free taster courses are open now.

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London questions

Which London borough do I register my food business with?

The one you trade in. London has 33 separate food authorities, every borough plus the City of London Corporation, and each keeps its own register and its own inspection programme. Register at least 28 days before you open, and register again if you move across a borough boundary. If you run a van, you register with the borough where it is kept overnight.

Do market traders at Borough Market or Camden need a food hygiene certificate?

Organisers of the big London markets ask for a food hygiene certificate before they hand over a pitch, and the borough’s officers can ask to see it during a visit. The Food Standards Agency list includes 2,596 mobile caterers and street food traders in London. Your registration, your certificates and your temperature records should travel with the stall.

How do I train a London kitchen team that speaks several languages?

Give people the course in their own language rather than translating on the fly at the pass. Good Food Hygiene runs every course complete in 14 languages, with the same assessment behind each one, and issues the certificate in English so any borough officer can read it. It also means the supervisor is not the only person who understood the training.

Does a rating from one London borough carry over if I open a second site?

No. Each site is rated on its own inspection, by the officers of the borough it sits in. A top score in one borough says nothing about a new unit in another, which starts unrated and joins the queue; 7,544 London businesses are waiting for a first inspection. What does carry over is your management system and your trained staff.