Dorchester comes out top for food hygiene in the UK

Dorchester is the best location for food hygiene in the UK according to recent Food Standards Agency data.

Data from over 450,000 businesses has revealed average food hygiene ratings for all areas in the UK. The research has revealed that Dorchester has come out on top of a total of 106 different postcodes in the country.

Win for Dorchester

The DT area (which includes Dorchester) generated an average food hygiene rating of 4.85 – the highest recorded by any postcode. A total of 1,890 hotels, restaurants, pubs/bars and takeaways were used in the research from the DT postcode. This fantastic result highlights the high standard of catering offered by restaurants in Dorchester and surrounding area.

1st: DT (Dorchester) – average of 4.85
2nd: HG (Harrogate) – average of 4.83
3rd: TD (Galashiels) – average of 4.832

Other locations

On average food outlets in the UK (excluding Scotland) have a rating of 4.52 out of 5. The district of Southall in West London was the worst-performing area with an average food hygiene rating of 3.89. Generally, things were not good for London, making up nine of the ten worst ratings on the list.

How the rating works

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Food Standards Agency gives businesses a rating from 0 to 5.

• 5 – hygiene standards are very good
• 4 – hygiene standards are good
• 3 – hygiene standards are generally satisfactory
• 2 – some improvement is necessary
• 1 – major improvement is necessary
• 0 – urgent improvement is required

The rating is based on compliance with health and safety regulations rather than taste or quality of food.

Scotland uses a different scoring system with businesses simply awarded either a “Pass” or “Improvement required”.

How the data was sourced

The information gathered in June/August 2019 for the study was carried out by Claims Direct using data from Food Standards Agency.

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