London restaurants and cafes have the lowest average food hygiene rating of any city in the UK, according to a study, with Waltham Forest the worst borough.
Data from High Speed Training has ranked the Food Standards Agency star ratings to find that Kensington and Chelsea was the most highly rated, on average in the capital.
The report, released on Friday, scoured more than 215,000 food businesses across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
London eateries, in total, had an average food hygiene of 4.36 out of five, which placed it bottom of all regions in the UK.
The city average was boosted by Kensington and Chelsea, which had the highest average of 4.8, while Waltham Forest footed the table with 3.74.
Redbridge has the highest average rating increase in London from 2023, improving its rating by 0.14 to 4.38.
The report also found that 186 premises across London scored a zero, and 802 scored a one on their food hygiene rating.
Dr Richard Anderson, head of learning and development at High Speed Training said: “Food safety and robust hygiene practices should be of paramount importance.
“Recently, we have seen many high profile cases of food poisoning and illnesses caused by food-borne bacteria.
“This is why food hygiene ratings are so important - they are a direct reflection of how safely and hygienically that establishment operates and are of critical importance to consumers.”
The study found that almost one in four takeaways (23 per cent) across London scored three or below for their food hygiene rating.
It was a better score for premises where 82 per cent held at least a four out of five.
Following regular inspections, ratings are devised based on the standard of food handling hygiene, the physical condition of the premises and facilities and food safety management practices.
These ratings are then made available on the Food Standards Agency website and are usually visible from outside of the premises, often presented in a window.
In Wales and Northern Ireland, it is compulsory for businesses to display their food hygiene rating. However, in England it is currently just considered best practice.
Dr Anderson added: “For businesses that perform well, a high rating is a real selling point.
“However, establishments with a low hygiene rating can be extremely off-putting for customers, which ultimately have a significant impact on reputation and profitability.
“We would also urge customers to check the food hygiene ratings of establishments they wish to dine at, so that an informed call as to whether you eat there can be made.”
From all regions, the south west scored the highest, with a 4.6 average, while Southport was the highest scoring town with 4.91.
Waltham Forest Councillor Khevyn Limbajee said: “The safety and wellbeing of customers at Waltham Forest restaurants and food outlets is our top priority. Our food and safety team works hard to make sure that food businesses across the borough follow hygiene standards, protecting everyone who chooses to dine out or order a takeaway.
“There are around 2,000 registered food businesses in the borough. The vast majority take their responsibilities seriously, achieving a rating of three or higher under the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.
“We take a zero-tolerance approach with food businesses who do not comply with their legal requirements. We close and prosecute about 50 business a year due to poor hygiene, food safety management and pest problems – historically, this is more than most other London boroughs.
“We always encourage people to check an outlet’s food hygiene rating before they dine using the Food Standards Agency website. We support calls to make displaying food hygiene ratings mandatory in food businesses, as is the case in Wales.”
