Tesco Express food hygiene rating
Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets · Waltham Forest
Tesco Express holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the supermarket and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
This is a fresh result: Tesco Express was inspected on 29 July 2026, so the rating reflects what the inspector found very recently.
Only 13% of rated food businesses in Waltham Forest score 0 to 2 like this, so a low rating here is the exception, not the norm. See all Waltham Forest ratings →
Address: 28 - 30 Station Road, Chingford, E4 7BE
How this rating has changed
Tesco Express has gone backwards: it held a 5 before its inspection on 29 July 2026, and now holds a 1. A rating of 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix.
| Inspected | Rating | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 29 July 2026 | 5 1 | Worse |
The FSA publishes only a business's current rating. This history is our own record of what it has scored since we began watching.
How it compares in Waltham Forest
A 1 is rare: only 126 of 1,859 rated places in Waltham Forest score this low, about one in 15. By contrast 51% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 939 | 51% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 431 | 23% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 269 | 14% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 28 | 2% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 126 | 7% | ← Tesco Express | |
| 0 out of 5 | 66 | 4% |
A further 122 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Improvement necessary
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety Major improvement necessary
An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At Tesco Express the inspector recorded concerns over how food is handled and confidence in management. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Tesco Express, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caffe Nero Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 45 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 July 2024 |
| Aurora Cakes Retailers - other | 91 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 March 2026 |
| Bright Horizons Chingford Day Nursery and Preschool Caring Premises | 194 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 June 2025 |
| Bar One Twenty Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 345 yards away | 5 - Very good | 24 July 2024 |
| Barney's Sea Food Mobile caterer | 425 yards away | 5 - Very good | 21 March 2026 |
| Cafe 73 Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 15 October 2025 |
Questions about Tesco Express
What is Tesco Express's food hygiene rating?
Tesco Express has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by Waltham Forest Council on 29 July 2026.
Is Tesco Express safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The supermarket is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was Tesco Express last inspected?
Tesco Express was last inspected on 29 July 2026, a month ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Waltham Forest Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Tesco Express?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "improvement necessary", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Tesco Express compare to other places in Waltham Forest?
51% of the 1,859 rated food businesses in Waltham Forest hold the top rating of 5, while Tesco Express holds a 1. 126 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Waltham Forest Council inspects Tesco Express and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.
Tell me when this changes
The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch Tesco Express and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →
Is this your business?
A rating of 1 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Waltham Forest, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Waltham Forest
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Tesco Express is one of 349 rated food businesses in Chingford. See every hygiene rating in Chingford →
Waltham Forest inspects and rates 1,981 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Waltham Forest →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk
Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →