A report on food hygiene scores has revealed the best and worst areas for food hygiene in Northern Ireland.
A report by training providers High Speed Training revealed the best and worst places for food hygiene in Northern Ireland.
The report, which also encompasses England, Scotland, and Wales, makes for promising reading regarding the cleanliness of Northern Irish establishments.
Scores on the doors – the best and worst places for food hygiene in Northern Ireland
Compared to the same report last year, the overall average score in Northern Ireland dropped, but only by an insignificant 0.1: in 2022, the average was 4.69; this year, 4.68.
This consistent average score is indicative of the overall trend in the report, as the best and worst places for food hygiene in Northern Ireland remained the same.
Northern Ireland’s best region for food hygiene is Mid and East Antrim. The district, which is home to towns like Ballymena, Larne, and Whitehead, scored an impressive average of 4.81.
On the other hand, Ards and North Down, home to Bangor and Holywood, was the worst-ranked region for food hygiene. Still, its respectable average score of 4.6 marks a slight increase of 0.3 from its 2022 score.
Antrim and Newtownabbey saw the sharpest drop in Northern Ireland, with the area’s average score dropping by 0.08 to 4.62 compared to last year’s results.
Belfast, the north’s capital city, ranked 23rd overall with a score of 4.62. However, in comparison to other cities with at least 1,000 establishments, Belfast placed third, behind only England’s Nottingham and Brighton, which scored 4.77 and 4.63, respectively.
The overall takeaway – the current state of food establishments in the UK
The overall results of the study are promising for food hygiene across the UK, most evidently in average rating. The average scores in Northern Ireland, England, and Wales rose from 4.51 to 4.53 since 2022.
In the same period, Scotland’s average pass rate rose from 91.8% to 92.13%. Furthermore, seven out of eleven regions improved their average score this year.
69.55% of establishments managed a perfect five, while an impressive 87.5% scored at least four. Both of these figures mark increases from 2022.
It wasn’t all gravy, though: 489 locations scored a flat zero on their score. However, in the grand scheme of things, these outliers represent an anomaly in a promising report.
The Food Hygiene Rating System – how is it worked out?
The Food Hygiene Rating System is a collaborative effort between authorities in Northern Ireland, England, and Wales to provide customers with clear information about an establishment’s hygiene standards. Scotland also follows a similar system.
An authorised officer will make regular assessment visits and provide the business with a score ranging from zero to five that it must display to customers.
Three main areas are assessed: food handling and practices, condition of the premises and facilities, and confidence in management.
The first is self-explanatory: how does the business prepare and store its food? The condition of the premises refers to the establishment’s cleanliness, including its layout and any pest-control measures in place.
Confidence in management takes into account things like staff training and the business’s records and logs of relevant checks and accidents.
The report was carried out by High Speed Training, a facility that provides training and qualifications in food hygiene.
