FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 9 September 2025

Revealed: UK’s Best and Worst Places for Food Hygiene

Food Guard analysis names and shames low performers — and celebrates the cleanest kitchens in Britain

London, UK — New data from food traceability software provider Food Guard has uncovered the UK’s food hygiene champions — and the areas falling dangerously short.

An analysis of official Food Standards Agency (FSA) inspection scores for thousands of restaurants, takeaways, cafés, and supermarkets ranks every local authority by the percentage of venues achieving the top 5-star rating.

UK Top 5 Most Hygienic Areas

Hull and Goole Port – 100% 5 ratings

River Tees – 100% 5 ratings

South Ayrshire – 94.36% 5 ratings

East Lothian – 93.98% 5 ratings

Wrexham – 92.91% 5 ratings

UK Bottom 5 Worst-Performing Areas

Walsall – just 40.78% 5 ratings

Hackney – 42.10% 5

Blaenau Gwent – 43.41% 5

Newham – 44.37% 5

Highland – 44.76% 5

Regional Highlights

England

Top: River Tees (100%), Thanet (90.54%), Bassetlaw (89.70%)

Bottom: Walsall (40.78%), Hackney (42.10%), Newham (44.37%)

Scotland

Top: South Ayrshire (94.36%), East Lothian (93.98%), East Renfrewshire (92.11%)

Bottom: Highland (44.76%), Shetland Islands (52.84%), Argyll and Bute (54.10%)

Wales

Top: Wrexham (92.91%), Anglesey (87.00%), Gwynedd (82.48%)

Bottom: Blaenau Gwent (43.41%), Merthyr Tydfil (49.56%), Caerphilly (56.49%)

Northern Ireland

Top: Lisburn and Castlereagh City (82.18%), Newry, Mourne and Down (82.10%), Mid Ulster (80.85%)

Bottom: Belfast City (64.33%), Derry City and Strabane (67.06%), Ards and North Down (74.41%)

Louis Ryan, founder of Food Guard, said:

“When fewer than half of food businesses in some areas are achieving the highest hygiene standards, that’s a wake-up call for both operators and regulators. Food hygiene isn’t just a box-ticking exercise — it’s the foundation of public trust.

At Food Guard, we give businesses the traceability and compliance tools they need to stay inspection-ready every day, not just when the inspector calls.”

The findings are based on inspections logged in the Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme (FHRS) up to August 2025, which scores venues from 0 (urgent improvement necessary) to 5 (very good).

ENDS