Press & data
Writing about food hygiene? Everything below is free to use, from the Food Standards Agency's open data. Please credit HygieneCheck with a link.
Headline figures — as of 11 July 2026
Ready to quote. Please keep the "as of" date, as these update monthly.
- 485,313 food businesses across the UK hold a food hygiene rating.
- 78% hold the top rating of 5.
- 14,463 (3%) are rated 2 or below, meaning an inspector found problems they are required to fix.
- 848 hold a 0, the lowest rating the scheme gives.
- The kind of business most likely to score low is Takeaway/sandwich shop.
Download the data
Free CSV files, updated monthly:
Or see them on the page: the full league tables · the national picture.
Local angle: your area
The councils with the highest share of businesses rated 2 or below — a ready local story. Each links to that council's full page.
| Council | Rated | 2 or below | % low |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newham | 2,434 | 346 | 14.2% |
| Ealing | 3,049 | 375 | 12.3% |
| Waltham Forest | 1,864 | 221 | 11.9% |
| Blackburn | 1,075 | 117 | 10.9% |
| Birmingham | 8,171 | 787 | 9.6% |
| Enfield | 2,114 | 197 | 9.3% |
| Knowsley | 690 | 64 | 9.3% |
| Bolton | 2,200 | 189 | 8.6% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 1,196 | 100 | 8.4% |
| Hillingdon | 2,007 | 164 | 8.2% |
| Camden | 3,373 | 269 | 8.0% |
| Portsmouth | 1,534 | 122 | 8.0% |
| Wigan | 2,330 | 177 | 7.6% |
| Liverpool | 3,381 | 249 | 7.4% |
| Rochdale | 1,494 | 109 | 7.3% |
| Redbridge | 1,781 | 127 | 7.1% |
| Walsall | 1,788 | 117 | 6.5% |
| Westminster | 5,234 | 332 | 6.3% |
| Lambeth | 2,397 | 152 | 6.3% |
| Reading | 1,362 | 85 | 6.2% |
| Blaenau Gwent | 594 | 37 | 6.2% |
| Ashfield | 854 | 53 | 6.2% |
| Pendle | 764 | 47 | 6.2% |
| Harrow | 1,551 | 95 | 6.1% |
| Wyre | 902 | 54 | 6.0% |
| Rugby | 819 | 49 | 6.0% |
| Great Yarmouth | 1,027 | 61 | 5.9% |
| Oldham | 1,680 | 98 | 5.8% |
| Salford | 1,881 | 108 | 5.7% |
| Islington | 2,407 | 136 | 5.7% |
Method & contact
All figures are counted from the Food Standards Agency's published Food Hygiene Rating Scheme data, across every UK local authority, refreshed monthly. A rating is set by the local council on an unannounced inspection and reflects the weakest of three areas: food handling, the condition of the premises, and confidence in management. Ratings can change at the next inspection, and a business has a right to reply. Councils with fewer than 50 rated businesses are excluded from rankings, as small numbers make percentages misleading. Scotland uses a pass-or-improve scheme and is not included in the numeric rankings.
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