FSSAI's Hygiene Rating Scheme gives restaurants, cafés, dhabas, bakeries, sweet shops and meat retail shops a public score from one to five smileys, based on how well they follow food hygiene and safety practices. The certificate goes on display where customers can see it, and its QR code shows details like your licence, your trained food safety supervisor and any consumer complaints. This guide explains how the rating works, using FSSAI's own Hygiene Rating guidance document.
How the score works
You're scored against an FSSAI checklist based on Schedule 4 of the Licensing and Registration Regulations — the same hygiene requirements food safety officers inspect against. For food service establishments the checklist has 47 questions worth 114 points in total, covering design and facilities, control of operations, maintenance and sanitation, personal hygiene, and training and record keeping. Your points are converted to a percentage, which sets your rating:
- 5 smileys — Excellent: 81 to 100%
- 4 smileys — Very Good: 61 to 80%
- 3 smileys — Good: 41 to 60%
- 2 smileys — Needs Improvement: 21 to 40%
- 1 smiley — Urgent Improvement: 20% or below
The critical items that block a rating entirely
Some checklist questions are marked with an asterisk because they directly affect food safety. Failing any one of them means no hygiene rating is issued, however well you score elsewhere. For food service establishments they cover:
- Potable water meeting IS:10500, tested every six months with records kept
- Frozen food thawed hygienically, and thawed food not stored for later use
- Food cooked to the required core temperature
- Cooked food cooled correctly before refrigeration
- Hot and cold food held at the right temperatures (hot at 65°C, non-veg at 70°C; cold at 5°C or below; frozen at -18°C or below)
- Reheating done properly, to a core temperature of 75°C for at least two minutes
- Food transport vehicles clean and at the required temperature
- No signs of pest activity or infestation
- Food handlers maintaining personal cleanliness and hygienic behaviour
- Documentation and records available and retained for at least a year
Notice how many of these are about proof as much as practice: water test records, temperature checks, documentation kept for a year. A clean kitchen without records can still miss out on a rating.
Before you apply
FSSAI's guidance lists a few prerequisites:
- A valid FSSAI licence or registration, and compliance with Schedule 4 hygiene requirements
- A FoSTaC-trained Food Safety Supervisor — FSSAI's guidance sets one per 25 food handlers — and all food handlers trained
- For licensed businesses: annual testing of water and food samples at an FSSAI-approved lab
- Optionally, a Food Safety Display Board showing your licence number and a way for customers to give feedback
How the process works
- Log in to the Hygiene Rating portal with your FoSCoS credentials and complete the self-assessment checklist
- Within 45 days, a verification audit is carried out by an FSSAI-recognised Hygiene Rating Audit Agency or third-party audit agency (or a Food Safety Officer)
- The auditor inspects the premises, records evidence and submits the report
- Once verified, you download the hygiene rating certificate and display it prominently
Petty food businesses with a basic registration skip the self-assessment and go straight to verification. Under FSSAI's guidance, businesses rated 3, 4 or 5 smileys display their certificate, while those scoring lower work on the gaps and reapply.
Validity and improving your score
A hygiene rating is valid for two years, though an audit can be scheduled during that time if complaints are received. If you score lower than you'd like, the auditor shares a report of the gaps, and you can redo the self-assessment and request re-verification three months after the previous inspection.
Preparing for 5 smileys
- Run a self-audit against the checklist categories well before applying, and fix every critical item first
- Log fridge, freezer and hot-holding temperatures daily, so the records exist when the auditor asks
- Keep water test reports, pest control records, staff medical fitness records and training certificates current and in one place
- Follow a written cleaning schedule and record when each task is done
- Make sure every food handler knows the hygiene basics: handwashing, clean clothing, no loose jewellery, no smoking or spitting in food areas
How Mohar helps
Mohar runs FSSAI-aligned daily checklists — temperature logs, cleaning, hygiene and pest control checks — that staff complete on their phones, with each entry timestamped. Critical items like a fridge running warm alert the owner immediately. Compliance documents such as staff health certificates, pest control reports and food safety training records are tracked with their dates, and a compliance score shows each outlet's standing every day, not just on audit day.
This article is based on FSSAI's Hygiene Rating Scheme Guidance Document (IVth edition) and its food service checklist. Check fssai.gov.in for the latest version before your audit.