The headline
78.2% of rated UK food businesses score top marks for hygiene.
Of 483,819 rated establishments in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 378,251 hold the top 5-star rating (Very Good). The national average is 4.65 out of 5. Just 1.5% (7,366) score 0 or 1 star, where urgent or major improvement is necessary. The best-performing local authority is Bassetlaw (97.6% 5-star); the worst is Blaenau Gwent (48.9%). In Scotland's separate pass/fail scheme, 92.6% of assessed businesses pass.
National rating distribution
How 483,819 rated establishments (England, Wales & Northern Ireland) split across the FSA's 0–5 scale.
Plus 41,388 premises awaiting inspection and 24,198 exempt — excluded from the percentages above.
Best-rated local authorities
Ranked by share of 5-star businesses, among authorities with at least 500 rated establishments (so small areas can't skew the table).
| # | Local authority | 5★ share | Avg rating | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bassetlaw | 97.6% | 4.96 | 998 |
| 2 | Wrexham | 96.2% | 4.94 | 1,158 |
| 3 | Dorset | 95.4% | 4.94 | 3,987 |
| 4 | Thanet | 95.4% | 4.93 | 1,472 |
| 5 | Stockton On Tees | 95% | 4.93 | 1,417 |
| 6 | Forest of Dean | 95% | 4.94 | 679 |
| 7 | Ipswich | 94.8% | 4.92 | 1,057 |
| 8 | Chichester | 94.5% | 4.92 | 1,313 |
| 9 | South Ribble | 94.4% | 4.9 | 731 |
| 10 | West Oxfordshire | 94.3% | 4.92 | 1,005 |
Authorities with the most room to improve
The lowest share of 5-star businesses, same minimum-sample filter. A lower share doesn't mean unsafe food — it means more establishments sit at 3–4 stars rather than the top mark.
| # | Local authority | 5★ share | Avg rating | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blaenau Gwent | 48.9% | 4.19 | 591 |
| 2 | Newham | 50.5% | 3.98 | 2,370 |
| 3 | Waltham Forest | 51.1% | 3.99 | 1,843 |
| 4 | Wigan | 53.8% | 4.19 | 2,319 |
| 5 | Barking and Dagenham | 54.7% | 4.18 | 1,214 |
| 6 | Bolton | 55.5% | 4.19 | 2,177 |
| 7 | Merthyr Tydfil | 57.6% | 4.38 | 538 |
| 8 | Walsall | 58.3% | 4.26 | 1,773 |
| 9 | Ealing | 58.4% | 4.18 | 3,031 |
| 10 | Camden | 58.7% | 4.23 | 3,366 |
Scotland is measured differently
Scotland's 32 councils use the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) — a pass/fail scheme, not the 0–5 scale. Of 46,272 assessed Scottish businesses, 42,844 (92.6%) pass, and 503 hold the additional Eat Safe award for exceeding the basics. The remaining 3,428 are marked Improvement Required. Because the scales differ, Scotland is reported separately rather than folded into the 5-star figures above.
What the failures look like
The distribution is sharply top-heavy: a 5-star rating is the norm, not the exception. The interesting story is in the long tail. The 0.2% of establishments rated 0★ (870 premises) carry an Urgent Improvement Necessary notice — the FSA's strongest public signal. Add the 1★ band and 1.5% of rated UK food businesses are flagged for major or urgent action. By contrast, the 3★ band — a passing but unremarkable score — accounts for 5.6%, the quiet middle where most improvement headroom sits.
Cite this report
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Citation
GeraEats (2026). The State of UK Restaurant Hygiene 2026. Retrieved from https://geraeats.com/reports/uk-hygiene-2026Embed (HTML)
<blockquote>78.2% of rated UK food businesses score top marks for hygiene (FSA data, 2026-06-12) — <a href="https://geraeats.com/reports/uk-hygiene-2026">The State of UK Restaurant Hygiene 2026</a>, GeraEats.</blockquote>Explore the data
- UK Food Hygiene Ratings Directory — the full 607,906-establishment dataset, browsable by local authority and postcode area.
- GeraEats restaurants — order from local kitchens with live delivery tracking.
- GeraCompliance — food safety and regulatory checks for businesses.
- GeraHome — book vetted local service providers.
Methodology
All figures are computed directly from the Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) and Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) public register, covering 607,906 establishments across 360 local authorities (328 on the 0–5 FHRS scale, 32 Scottish FHIS authorities). National percentages are over rated establishments only — premises awaiting inspection or exempt are excluded from the rated denominator (41,388 and 24,198 respectively). The national average is the count-weighted mean of the 0–5 ratings. Best/worst league tables include only authorities with at least 500 rated establishments so small areas can't dominate. Scotland uses a pass/fail scheme and is reported separately. No figures are estimated or modelled. Data as of 2026-06-12.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Food hygiene ratings are sourced from the Food Standards Agency at ratings.food.gov.uk. Ratings reflect the most recent inspection on record and may have changed since publication.