Food hygiene is an important issue in the UK.
Poor food hygiene can lead to the spread of foodborne illness, which can cause serious health problems.
In fact, a recent scientific study by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) estimates that around 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness occur every year in the UK (source).
This represents a significant burden on both public health and the economy and costs the UK around £9.1 billion per year (source).
To help address this problem, the UK has implemented the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, which is managed by the FSA and local authorities.
The scheme aims to inform consumers about the hygiene standards of food businesses and encourage those businesses to improve their practices.
Under the scheme, food businesses are inspected by local authorities and assigned a rating based on their compliance with food safety regulations.
These ratings are often displayed prominently at the business's premises, allowing consumers to make informed choices about where to eat or purchase food. They are also available here on Food Owland the Food Standards Agency website.
While these ratings are helpful in evaluating the performance of individual businesses, I thought it would be interesting to look at the latest food hygiene ratings statistics for local and regional areas in the UK. Before we do, here are some overall statistics for the UK:
Please note that the data in this article was obtained from the Food Standards Agency website and is updated on a nightly basis. This ensures that the information is as accurate and up-to-date as possible.
Those are some interesting numbers, but let's delve into some more interesting statistics and look at where the best and the worst regions are for food hygiene ratings in the UK.
These statistics provide a snapshot of the state of food hygiene in the UK today. They highlight both the successes and the challenges that the country faces in ensuring that the food we eat is free from contamination and is safe to consume.
Here's the latest food hygiene rating statistics for each country within the UK.
Northern Ireland currently has the greatest percentage of five-rated food establishments. There are a total of 16,782 food-based businesses in Northern Ireland and 12,579 of those have a rating of 'five' (74.96%).
Here's a table showing the percentage of 5-rated businesses and the percentage of 0 and 1-rated businesses for each country:
| Country | 5-Rated Businesses (%) | 0 and 1-Rated Businesses (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 74.96% (12,579) | 0.36% (61) |
| England | 67.36% (331,304) | 1.37% (6,757) |
| Wales | 66.59% (22,248) | 1.41% (472) |
Next we dive into the latest food hygiene rating statistics for each region in the UK. These statistics offer a high-level view of the state of food hygiene in each region.
Please note it's worth noting that the Food Standards Agency considers Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland to be both countries and regions. This is why you will see them listed in both the country and region sections of this article.
Northern Ireland currently has the greatest percentage of five-rated food establishments. There are a total of 16,782 food-based businesses in Northern Ireland and 12,579 of those have a rating of 'five' (74.96%).
Here's a table showing the percentage of 5-rated businesses and the percentage of 0 and 1-rated businesses for each region in England, Wales and Northern Ireland::
| Region | 5-Rated Businesses (%) | 0 and 1-Rated Businesses (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 74.96% (12,579) | 0.36% (61) |
| East Midlands | 74.04% (31,237) | 0.90% (378) |
| South East | 72.10% (56,195) | 0.91% (707) |
| North East | 71.65% (16,171) | 0.74% (167) |
| East Counties | 70.97% (37,826) | 0.92% (491) |
| South West | 70.71% (38,143) | 0.85% (461) |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 68.94% (33,391) | 1.16% (562) |
| Wales | 66.59% (22,248) | 1.41% (472) |
| North West | 65.01% (41,637) | 1.77% (1,135) |
| West Midlands | 61.48% (30,614) | 2.06% (1,027) |
| London | 57.88% (46,090) | 2.30% (1,829) |
In this section, we'll look at the best and worst performing local authorities for food hygiene ratings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Waltham Forest currently has the greatest percentage of zero and one-rated food establishments.There are a total of 2,036 food-based businesses in Waltham Forest and 249 of those are rated 'zero' or 'one' (12.23%).
River Tees currently has the greatest percentage of five-rated food establishments. There are a total of 5 food-based businesses in River Tees and 5 of those have a rating of 'five' (100.00%).
Here's a table displaying the bottom 20 local authorities for food hygiene ratings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This highlights the local authorities where improvement is required to catch-up with the local authorities that perform the best in the UK.
| Local Authority | 0 and 1-Rated Businesses (%) |
|---|---|
| Waltham Forest | 12.23% (249) |
| Pendle | 6.38% (53) |
| Newham | 5.47% (150) |
| Birmingham | 5.08% (501) |
| Barking and Dagenham | 4.99% (68) |
| Ealing | 4.72% (152) |
| Woking | 4.57% (38) |
| Hillingdon | 4.54% (103) |
| Blaenau Gwent | 4.42% (28) |
| Blackburn | 4.18% (54) |
| Torbay | 3.79% (55) |
| Wigan | 3.62% (93) |
| Hull City | 3.49% (78) |
| Enfield | 3.32% (80) |
| Salford | 3.26% (65) |
| Bolton | 3.23% (81) |
| Camden | 3.08% (127) |
| Rochdale | 3.06% (55) |
| Doncaster | 3.05% (82) |
| Wyre | 2.87% (30) |
Here's a table displaying the top 20 local authorities for food hygiene ratings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This highlights their impressive efforts in maintaining high standards in the UK food industry.
| Local Authority | 5-Rated Businesses (%) |
|---|---|
| River Tees | 100.00% (5) |
| Thanet | 92.02% (1326) |
| Wrexham | 91.64% (1019) |
| Ipswich | 88.68% (932) |
| South Derbyshire | 88.66% (688) |
| Bassetlaw | 88.64% (921) |
| North Kesteven | 87.42% (834) |
| Castle Point | 87.35% (442) |
| Stockton On Tees | 87.20% (1288) |
| Lincoln City | 86.64% (927) |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 86.34% (999) |
| Anglesey | 85.87% (638) |
| Hartlepool | 85.75% (668) |
| Chichester | 84.30% (1181) |
| Rother | 84.23% (801) |
| Rossendale | 84.11% (577) |
| East Lindsey | 83.98% (1809) |
| Forest of Dean | 83.97% (613) |
| Boston | 83.42% (503) |
| Gwynedd | 83.14% (1706) |
Finally, we'll look at the best and worst performing local authorities for food hygiene ratings in Scotland.
Aberdeen City currently has the greatest percentage of food establishments with 'Improvement Required'. There are a total of 2,173 food-based businesses in Aberdeen City and 315 of those are rated as 'Improvement Required' (14.50%).
North Lanarkshire currently has the greatest percentage of pass-rated food establishments. There are a total of 2652 food-based businesses in North Lanarkshire and 2514 of those have a rating of 'pass' (94.80%).
Here's a table displaying the bottom 20 local authorities for food hygiene ratings in Scotland. This highlights the local authorities where improvement is required to catch-up with the local authorities that perform the best in Scotland.
| Local Authority | 'Improvement Required' Businesses (%) |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 14.50% (315) |
| South Lanarkshire | 9.07% (219) |
| Shetland Islands | 9.03% (25) |
| Clackmannanshire | 8.79% (45) |
| Glasgow City | 8.59% (538) |
| Edinburgh (City of) | 8.22% (414) |
| Highland | 7.96% (438) |
| Midlothian | 7.35% (51) |
| Dundee City | 7.21% (104) |
| Inverclyde | 6.93% (42) |
| Aberdeenshire | 6.19% (159) |
| Angus | 5.43% (55) |
| North Ayrshire | 4.75% (64) |
| East Lothian | 4.63% (40) |
| Scottish Borders | 4.56% (77) |
| West Dunbartonshire | 4.56% (34) |
| Stirling | 4.35% (58) |
| Perth and Kinross | 3.61% (53) |
| East Dunbartonshire | 3.53% (23) |
| Argyll and Bute | 3.48% (42) |
Here's a table displaying the top 20 local authorities for food hygiene ratings in Scotland. This highlights their impressive efforts in maintaining high standards in the Scottish food industry.
| Local Authority | 'Pass' Businesses (%) |
|---|---|
| North Lanarkshire | 94.80% (2,514) |
| East Lothian | 93.16% (804) |
| East Renfrewshire | 91.43% (576) |
| South Ayrshire | 88.00% (946) |
| Inverclyde | 87.79% (532) |
| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles) | 87.43% (459) |
| Renfrewshire | 86.80% (1,282) |
| Falkirk | 86.53% (1,028) |
| East Dunbartonshire | 85.41% (556) |
| North Ayrshire | 85.37% (1,150) |
| Dundee City | 84.82% (1,224) |
| Clackmannanshire | 84.18% (431) |
| Perth and Kinross | 84.12% (1,234) |
| Orkney Islands | 83.33% (365) |
| Stirling | 82.66% (1,101) |
| Edinburgh (City of) | 82.57% (4,159) |
| Fife | 81.42% (3,905) |
| Angus | 81.13% (821) |
| West Dunbartonshire | 80.03% (597) |
| Midlothian | 79.39% (551) |
Overall, the UK's Food Standards Agency has a strong food hygiene rating scheme in place to protect the public's health. However, as these statistics show, there is still room for improvement in certain areas of the country.
It is important for both consumers and food businesses to be aware of these ratings and for businesses in particular to take steps to ensure that food is safe for consumption.
Whether through careful food handling practices or by choosing to eat only at establishments with high ratings, we can all play a role in improving food hygiene in the UK.
This helps to protect public health by reducing the spread of foodborne illness which, otherwise, can cause serious health problems and increase pressure on the NHS and the UK economy.