Our commitment
HygieneScout is committed to making food hygiene ratings accessible to everyone. We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA.
Accessibility features
- Semantic HTML: We use proper heading hierarchy, landmarks (<nav>, <main>, <footer>), and semantic elements throughout.
- Keyboard navigation: All interactive elements are keyboard accessible. You can tab through the site, use Enter to activate links and buttons, and Escape to close menus.
- Skip to content: A "Skip to content" link appears when you press Tab on any page, allowing keyboard users to bypass navigation.
- Rating badges: All food hygiene rating badges include descriptive aria-labels (e.g., "Food hygiene rating: 5 out of 5, Very Good"). Colour is never the sole indicator — ratings always include a number and text label.
- Score bars: Inspection score visualisations use aria-valuenow, aria-valuemin, and aria-valuemax attributes for screen reader compatibility.
- Colour contrast: All text meets a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 against its background, conforming to WCAG AA.
- Dark mode: Full dark mode support with maintained contrast ratios and text hierarchy.
- Reduced motion: All animations and transitions respect the prefers-reduced-motion media query. Users who prefer reduced motion will not see hover animations or transitions.
- Focus indicators: All interactive elements display visible focus outlines when navigated via keyboard.
- Responsive design: The site is fully responsive from 320px to desktop widths. Touch targets meet the minimum 44px requirement.
Known limitations
- Leaflet maps on postcode pages are not fully accessible to screen reader users. Individual map markers cannot be navigated via keyboard. The establishment listing below the map provides the same information in an accessible format.
- Some third-party content (Termly cookie consent banner, Google Analytics) may have their own accessibility characteristics outside our direct control.
Reporting issues
If you encounter any accessibility barriers on HygieneScout, please contact us. We take accessibility feedback seriously and will work to resolve issues promptly.
When reporting an issue, please include the page URL, your browser and assistive technology (if applicable), and a description of what you experienced.