London is the worst region for food hygiene, report finds

A new report has found that London is the worst place for food hygiene across the UK with an average rating of 4.36 out of five.

The report from High Speed Training assessed information from 215,000 food businesses across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Alongside discovering that London with its 35,833 outlets was the worst of all regions, it also found that the West Midlands was near the bottom of the league with 4.42, but the East Midlands fared better in the table being the third best in the country at 4.62.

Wales also came near the bottom of the table, performing the third worst out of all of the UK with an average rating of 4.45. The North West was marginally better at 4.46 before a small jump to the middling performers of Yorkshire and the Humber (4.57) and the South East (4.61).

In terms of the best performing areas, the South West took top spot with 4.66 and Northern Ireland at 4.64.

Robust

Dr Richard Anderson, head of learning and development at High Speed Training, said that food safety and “robust” hygiene practices were of “paramount importance to food businesses”.

He said: “Recently, we have seen many high profile cases of food poisoning and illnesses caused by food-borne bacteria.

“This is why food hygiene ratings are so important – they are a direct reflection of how safely and hygienically that establishment operates and are of critical importance to consumers.

“For businesses that perform well, a high rating is a real selling point. However, establishments with a low hygiene rating can be extremely off-putting for customers, which ultimately have a significant impact on reputation and profitability.

“Our report shows that, on average, standards remain high across the UK, and have improved from 2023. This commitment to correct food hygiene training for staff, alongside robust food management procedures and everyday good practices are crucial to keep performing at high standards.”