FHRS establishments & hygiene ratings — Essex
Essex ranks 6 of 48 counties by FHRS volume, with 15,295 establishments and 499 Companies House registrations. 305 FHRS ratings published in 30 days, led by Restaurants & cafés.
Essex totals 15,295 rated food businesses, led by Restaurants & cafés (3,543 establishments). FHRS inspection rate (19.9 per 1,000 establishments) is above the national average (15 per 1,000).
+19
Last 30 days (Companies House)
499 over 12 months · 78 in last 90 days
Net incorporations (30d): +19
+305
Last 30 days
6,006 over 12 months
Net rating signal (30d): +304
Last 30 days
279 currently rated 0–2 (latest FHRS score)
Latest events in Essex
FHRS rating: S… in Essex
525/09/2026
FHRS rating: N… in Newhall
525/09/2026
FHRS rating: H… in Harlow
525/09/2026
FHRS rating: G… in Frinton On Sea
525/09/2026
FHRS rating: Y… in Essex
524/09/2026
FHRS rating: E… in Essex
524/09/2026
FHRS rating: G… in Harlow
524/09/2026
FHRS rating: O… in Great Oakley
524/09/2026
FHRS rating: T… in Chelmsford
523/09/2026
FHRS rating: T… in Essex
523/09/2026
Establishment names are visible to Live Watch subscribers in this scope.
England-wide positioning
Essex ranks 6 of 48 counties with 15,295 FHRS establishments. Net rating signal (30d): +304. Inspection rate: 19.9 per 1,000 establishments (national average: 15).
- Rank — establishments
- 6 / 48
- Rank — ratings (30d)
- 3 / 48
- Net rating signal (30d)
- +304
- Inspection rate
- 19.9 / 1,000
Essex is covered by FoodProspect UK — FHRS hygiene data and Companies House registrations as independent sources. East of England. Restaurants & cafés is the largest FHRS sector locally (3,543 establishments). Use sector cards below to drill into business types and rating activity.
Top towns in Essex
Colchester leads Essex with 799 establishments — typically urban centres and high streets within the county.
| Rank | Town | Establishments | Ratings (30d) | Ratings (12m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colchester | 799 | 39 | 345 |
| 2 | Chelmsford | 562 | 16 | 271 |
| 3 | Southend-On-Sea | 500 | 4 | 212 |
| 4 | Harlow | 385 | 10 | 154 |
| 5 | Clacton On Sea | 349 | 4 | 158 |
| 6 | Basildon | 323 | 1 | 134 |
| 7 | Westcliff-On-Sea | 291 | 0 | 117 |
| 8 | Leigh-On-Sea | 252 | 4 | 107 |
| 9 | Braintree | 234 | 3 | 103 |
| 10 | Billericay | 208 | 1 | 87 |
Explore by FHRS sector
Restaurants & cafés accounts for 25% of FHRS premises in Essex (3,543 establishments), ahead of Retailers — other.
Restaurants & cafés
3,543 establishments
+96 ratings (30d) · 85 low (0–2)
Retailers — other
2,718 establishments
+32 ratings (30d) · 85 low (0–2)
Other catering premises
2,441 establishments
+49 ratings (30d) · 9 low (0–2)
Takeaways
1,336 establishments
+19 ratings (30d) · 46 low (0–2)
1 new low ratings (30d)
Pubs & bars
1,119 establishments
+24 ratings (30d) · 20 low (0–2)
Care homes & day care
1,101 establishments
+23 ratings (30d) · 3 low (0–2)
Mobile caterers
1,053 establishments
+15 ratings (30d) · 13 low (0–2)
Institutional catering
930 establishments
+24 ratings (30d) · 1 low (0–2)
FHRS hygiene focus
Restaurants & cafés recorded 96 published ratings in 30 days, with 85 establishments currently rated 0–2.
County-wide: 305 ratings in 30 days, 1 new 0–2 scores.
Shenfield
01/09/2026
Chelmsford
26/08/2026
Essex
21/08/2026
Stambridge
21/08/2026
Mayland
20/08/2026
* Establishment names are visible to Live watch subscribers in this scope.
Companies House — Essex
Essex has 499 Companies House registrations on FoodProspect (official register of UK companies (legal name, status, incorporation date, registered office)). 499 companies were incorporated in the last 12 months, including 19 in the last 30 days.
Company records are independent from FHRS hygiene ratings — use both signals for B2B sales: new incorporations for timing your contact, FHRS scores for compliance-focused discussions. Live Watch subscribers export both files in a single ZIP for Essex.
Neighbouring counties & region
Neighbouring counties
Frequently asked questions
How many FHRS establishments are in Essex?
15,295 food establishments with FHRS data are tracked in Essex, plus 499 Companies House registrations (separate source).
Which sector has the most rating activity in Essex?
Over the last 30 days, Restaurants & cafés leads with 96 published FHRS ratings in Essex.
How many FHRS ratings were published in Essex in the last 30 days?
305 ratings were published in the last 30 days, including 1 scored 0–2. 279 establishments currently hold a 0–2 rating overall.
Which towns have the most establishments in Essex?
The top towns by establishment count include Colchester, Chelmsford, Southend-On-Sea. See the table above for recent rating activity by town.
Methodology & sources
Statistics on this page cover FHRS-rated food establishments and Companies House registrations geocoded within Essex. Coverage spans all 48 ceremonial counties of England; figures for Essex are not extrapolated to the rest of England.
FHRS data comes from local authority hygiene ratings published by the Food Standards Agency. Companies House records (legal name, status, incorporation date, registered office) are ingested separately — there is no cross-match between inspected premises and registered companies on this page.
Rating activity uses the published date of each establishment's latest FHRS score. KPI windows are 30 and 365 days. Company incorporations use date_of_creation from Companies House. Figures refresh when the UK daily pipeline runs.