Dirty London: Capital’s restaurants and takeaways have worst food hygiene ratings in UK

London’s restaurants and takeaways are the grubbiest in the UK, with the capital having the worst hygiene ratings in the country.

The capital had an average food hygiene rating of 4.31.

High Speed Training has analysed the Food Standards Agency (FSA) data from over 230,000 food businesses across the UK, and London’s establishments had an average score of 4.31.

The report found that Kensington and Chelsea had the highest rating of all the London boroughs with an average score of 4.80.

The three bottom areas of London were Newham, Ealing and Waltham Forest.

Waltham Forest had the lowest food hygiene rating of all London boroughs with an average rating of 3.79.

Ealing was slightly better with a rating of 3.85 and Newham scored 3.97.

And these three boroughs were also the worst local authorities in the country for food hygiene.

And shockingly the report by High Speed Training found that more than one in four takeaways in London scored 3 or below in their food hygiene rating.

Tower Hamlets saw the biggest improvement in London with its rating improving from 3.81 in 2019 to 4.47 in 2022.

In January 2022, a kebab shop in Enfield was fined after the takeaway was overtaken by bugs and rats.

The owner, Kazim Recber, admitted to 15 offences after customers and officers found vile conditions where food was being prepared.

A customer raised the alarm with the local council after they spotted a cockroach on the premises.

The officers found the premises swarming with live cockroaches within minutes of their arrival and identified multiple hygiene failings.

Enfield Council later tweeted: “We think you should only see this many cockroaches on I’m A Celebrity and not in a kebab shop.”

More than 34,000 food establishments across the capital were reviewed by the Food Standards Agency.

The FSA found that London placed bottom of national regional rankings, which placed the capital below the West Midlands and the North West.

A similar report, run by High Speed Training in 2019, calculated that London’s average score was 4.02, which shows that food hygiene standards have improved dramatically.

A score of 4.80 for Kensington and Chelsea was found from more than 1,000 premises, which placed it 6th on the national rankings for towns and cities.

It also found that 81.3% of premises held a four or five rating.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is a partnership with local authorities that aims to provide customers with information on how well businesses are upholding food hygiene standards

Food businesses then have regular inspections where ratings are devised based on a series of conditions such as the standard of food handling hygiene, the physical condition of the premises & facilities and food safety management practices.

The ratings of these businesses are then made available on the Food Standards Agency websites and can usually be found on the front of the premises.

Richard Anderson from High Speed Training said  “One of the biggest responsibilities as a food establishment is ensuring that food safety and hygiene practices are thorough and up to date.

“This is why it’s so important to look at the rating accredited by the FHRS as it’s a direct reflection of how that establishment operates and the importance it places on its livelihood.

“As our analysis shows, on a whole, ratings are fairly high across the whole of the UK with every single region in the UK improving their average food hygiene score from 2019.

“However, for the proportion of establishments with a low hygiene rating, it can be extremely off-putting for customers and ultimately have a significant impact on your reputation and profitability as a business.

“There’s definitely more some establishments can do to improve their hygiene rating, firstly ensuring that all relevant staff have up to date food hygiene training and are aware of their specific responsibilities. It’s then a case of implementing good practices every day to stay on top of hygiene standards.

“And for those customers turning a blind eye when it comes to checking a hygiene rating, we would definitely urge you not to as ignorance isn’t always bliss! We would always recommend checking hygiene ratings before eating at an establishment so you can make an informed call as to whether you eat there.”