Glasgow’s food hygiene scorecard, 2026

Glasgow has 2,349 venues carrying an official food hygiene rating, and its record is noticeably more current than Edinburgh’s. Nearly six in ten were last inspected within the past two years, and just over a third within the past twelve months. Like the rest of Scotland, Glasgow runs a different scheme from England, so the first thing to understand is what its results actually mean.

A different scheme north of the border

Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme rather than the 0 to 5 stars found in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Instead of a number, a Glasgow venue carries a Pass or an Improvement Required result, with an Eat Safe award for premises that exceed the basic standard. The inspection date attached to that result works exactly as it does elsewhere, and it is the clearest guide to how fresh the assessment is.

How current are the ratings?

The median inspection date across the city falls on 19 February 2025. Half of Glasgow’s venues were last visited before that date and half after, which puts the midpoint about eighteen months before our snapshot. The breakdown fills that in: 36 per cent were inspected in the twelve months to our snapshot, and 58 per cent within twenty-four months. A little over four in ten were last seen more than two years ago.

That is a healthier cycle than Edinburgh’s, where the equivalent two-year figure sat below half. The two cities run under the same national scheme, so the difference comes down to how each local authority schedules its inspections and the mix of premises it oversees. For anyone comparing the two, Glasgow’s ratings are, on average, the fresher set.

The oldest dates on record

The earliest inspection still standing behind a live Glasgow rating dates to 27 January 2021, just over five years before this snapshot. A date that old can unsettle people, but a risk-based system produces exactly this. A low-risk premises with a clean history is revisited less often than a high-volume kitchen, and its last result stays valid until an inspector returns. An older date sitting next to a Pass is normal, not a warning.

Reading a Glasgow rating properly

Always read the result and the date as a pair. A Pass from last month and a Pass from two years ago both mean the premises met the standard when checked, but only the recent one reflects recent conditions. Glasgow’s most recent inspection landed on 20 August 2026, days before our snapshot, so the record is actively growing. When a particular venue matters to you, the date beside its result is the figure worth your attention.

Where these figures come from

Everything here comes from the Food Standards Agency’s published food hygiene data, which carries Scotland’s FHIS results, released as open data under the Open Government Licence. We took our snapshot on 26 August 2026, and each count and date above is computed directly from that release rather than estimated. We publish the official inspection result and leave it there. Verified, not reviewed.

FAQ

Why doesn’t Glasgow use star ratings?

Scotland runs the Food Hygiene Information Scheme, which returns a Pass or Improvement Required result rather than a 0 to 5 score. The star-based scheme is used in the rest of the UK.

Is Glasgow’s food hygiene data better than Edinburgh’s?

On recency, Glasgow’s is fresher: 58 per cent of its venues were inspected within two years against 49.3 per cent in Edinburgh. That reflects inspection scheduling, not necessarily hygiene standards themselves.

Should I avoid a venue with an older inspection date?

Not on the date alone. A longer gap usually reflects a lower risk rating, so read it alongside the Pass or Improvement Required result.

Where can I check the original result?

Each venue page here links back to the Food Standards Agency’s own record, so you can confirm the result and the date at source.

Hero image: Artur Kraft via Unsplash.