There are some establishments that have been rated as 'zero' by local authority food safety officers under the Food Standards Agency's national Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme (FHRS).
In Maldon there is only one business with the lowest possible hygiene rating.
A food hygiene rating of 'zero' is at the bottom of the food hygiene ratings scale and it means 'urgent improvement' is necessary.
Establishments that pose an imminent risk to public health where the food is deemed unsafe to eat, the officer has the authority to stop part of the business or close it down completely.
The establishment would only then be allowed to reopen once standards improve and it is safe to recommence.
The scale goes from zero to five and those that have a 'five-star' rating are judged to be the most hygienic.
To arrive at an overall rating for the business, food safety officers look into areas such as the handling, preparation, cooking and storage of food.
They also consider the cleanliness of the facilities used to prepare food and inspect the condition of the premises. Confidence in management and the procedures they use are also checked.
A score is given to an establishment for each of these areas and the scores are then added together to form an overall score.
The higher the score the worse the establishment has performed at the time of inspection in terms of food hygiene.
If the establishment scores 50 or more, it will be given a hygiene rating of zero.
You can find out how food hygiene ratings are calculated here.
Here's a full list of establishments in the Maldon borough that have been given a zero star rating for hygiene:
Our list is based on the data obtained from the Food Standards Agency and is regularly updated.