10 Reasons to Hire a Food Safety Consultant (and Boost Your Hygiene Rating in 2026)

Article Updated January 2026

If you’ve received a dismal 1-star Food Hygiene Rating, you’ll know the pressure it brings. In Wales, it’s a legal requirement to display your hygiene rating sticker — right at your entrance. This “front‑of‑house honesty” can be tough if your rating is low. Customers might switch to a competitor with a higher score.

That’s where a food safety consultant (also called a food hygiene consultant) can make all the difference. With a trained eye, they’ll spot problems you’ve missed, help you navigate the maze of food safety rules, and guide you towards a hygiene rating you can be proud to display.

Here are 10 powerful ways a food safety consultant can transform your business.

1. To Undertake A Gap Analysis

The first step to improving your hygiene rating is knowing exactly where your food safety compliance is falling short. A food safety consultant will carry out a gap analysis of your current HACCP, staff practices, business policies, and monitoring records. This structured review will highlight areas where your business is non‑compliant or at risk. It could be anything from poor cleaning routines, missing documentation, and/or poor hand hygiene. Lots of little mistakes can weaken your business safety defences. When the gaps line up this can lead to some pretty nasty shocks (and a hair on fire moment) which you’ll want to avoid at all cost.

By identifying these issues early, you can fix them before your next food hygiene inspection and position your business for a higher score (and stop any future damage).

2. To Train and Educate Food Handlers

Training is not about ticking a box — it’s about embedding safe habits into practice. A food safety consultant can create engaging, practical training for your staff, covering hygiene, allergens, cross‑contamination, and safe handling.

Some food safety consultants have specialised knowledge in behaviour change to close food safety gaps. By using evidence-based strategies they can make sure training becomes a habit and part of staff daily routines. This is essential if you want to see improvements in your next food hygiene inspection. As staff behaviour can often let the team down.

3. To Develop A Food Safety Management System

The law requires every food business to have a documented Food Safety Management System (based on HACCP principles).

As your business gets bigger, you may outgrow the Safer Food Better Business pack. You may start to add bits to the SFBB system. But this can get messy and unwieldy. A food hygiene consultancy can create a new system tailored to your growing business — or help you improve your current one.

Your food safety management system needs to be clear, relevant to your operations, and easy for staff to follow. A consultant will reduce risks to your business and improve your food safety compliance by plugging gaps in your food safety defences. This is vital if you want to avoid incidents, outbreaks, or allergen complaints. And it’s core if you want to keep a good score on your door.

4. To Perform Regular Audits and Inspections

When you’re running a business day-to-day, it’s easy to miss issues that an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) or inspector would spot straight away.

Getting a consultant onboard to carry out regular audits or inspections gives you a fresh perspective. They’ll highlight potential problems and areas of non-compliance. This gives you the chance to fix issues before your next EHO visit — or before an employee makes an anonymous complaint to the FSA. That’s key for protecting your hygiene rating.

5. To Review and Verify Your HACCP Plan

Your HACCP plan is not meant to sit on a shelf gathering dust — it’s a living document. A consultant can review your HACCP Plan, check it’s up to date and reflects your business — and is being followed. A consultant will spot weaknesses and help you correct gaps before they impact your hygiene score.

Many businesses don’t realise that any change to the menu, food processes, or new equipment is a trigger to review your HACCP. Forgetting to update your HACCP is a common reason for losing a star (or two) at your next inspection.

6. To Keep Your Business Compliant With Evolving Food Law and Emerging Risks

Food safety law changes more often than most people think. Post‑Brexit, and with regular updates from the Food Standards Agency, it can be hard for small businesses to keep up.

A good consultant stays on top of these changes. They’ll also “horizon scan” for new trends — like AI and food safety, and other emerging risks. This means you can adapt early, avoid nasty surprises, and plan with confidence. It takes the stress out of compliance.

7. To Boost Your Food Hygiene Rating

If your last food hygiene inspection didn’t go well, a food hygiene consultant can work with you to address every point in your EHO report. They’ll coach you and your team on how to prepare for a re-inspection, and how to present your business and boost trust. Ask your consultant to carry out a mock EHO inspection — it’s a powerful way to gain a competitive edge.

8. To Liaise With The EHO

Running a food business means you’ll have to deal with complaints, food poisoning allegations, and other enforcement matters at some point. It helps to have a consultant who speaks the inspectors language – and understands the EHO powers. Some consultants have trained as EHOs, so they know exactly how to negotiate, protect your position, and demonstrate confidence in your business. You’ll find this support invaluable.

9. To Spot Trends and Opportunities

The best food safety consultants don’t just focus on compliance. They can also help you stay competitive. By suggesting new processes, alternative business models, or equipment upgrades it can save you time and money.

In fact, a consultant with marketing knowledge can show you how to use your food hygiene rating—and turn it into a genuine marketing asset to attract more customers. Find out how your restaurant can use the hygiene rating sticker to boost your brand.

10. To Protect Your Business Reputation and Build Trust

Strong food safety systems protect your business, your reputation, and customer trust. They can even improve profitability. As your consultant strengthens your systems, your team will work better, waste less, and be more efficient.

The cost of a consultant is small compared to the cost of closure, prosecution, fines or bad publicity. There’s also the risk of losing staff, customers, suppliers, and revenue. Having a food safety consultant to support your team makes business sense. After all – prevention is better than cure.