New Report Puts National Food Hygiene Ratings On The Map

High Speed Training has released a new Food Hygiene Ratings report analysing data from a quarter of a million food businesses across the UK, to investigate how regions, towns and cities compare nationally.


The Yorkshire based elearning provider took an in-depth look at the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and aggregated Food Standards Agency data to provide an overall picture of the nation, complete with interactive map and league tables.


Southport came 3rd in the overall table, just behind Harrogate and Hastings, with an outstanding average rating of 4.76.


Walsall, Luton, Birmingham and Bolton had the lowest average scores on the towns and cities table. Analysis showed 1 in 5 Birmingham establishments had a rating of 2 or lower. London placed last in the regional table, with Barking and Dagenham scoring an average of 3.43.


Takeaways were the biggest offenders across the UK, with 1 in 9 rated two or lower. This comes as Just Eat announces their plans to invest £1 million into a food safety programme and introduce a minimum standard rating of 3 for all new restaurant sign ups.


“Our report aims to improve consumers’ understanding of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and the Scottish Food Hygiene Information Scheme, so they can make informed decisions around where to eat and drink” explains Lee Batchelor, who led the data team on the project. “The ratings are based on more than just personal hygiene. There are different areas of inspection and the schemes do have their limitations. It’s just about understanding that and knowing where to get the right information”.



The full report ‘Food Hygiene: Know The Score’ is available on the High Speed Training website: https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/food-hygiene-ratings-report-2019/