Regions and their towns and cities that score highest and lowest for their food hygiene ratings have been revealed.

The new report from High Speed Training (HST) has the South East ranked as 4 out of 11, with a rating of 4.61 from 28,897 establishments. Woking was included in the 22 towns and cities for the region and came in second to last.

The town scored an average rating of 4.41 from across 287 premises. According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), four is ‘good’ while lower numbers mean ‘satisfactory’ or ‘needing improvement’. Guildford was 16th and scored 4.52 from 243 businesses.

Head of Learning and Development at HST, Dr Richard Anderson commented: “Food safety and robust hygiene practices should be of paramount importance to food businesses.

“Recently, we have seen many high profile cases of food poisoning and illnesses caused by food-borne bacteria. 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.

“Our report shows that, on average, standards remain high across the UK, and have improved from 2023. This commitment to correct food hygiene training for staff, alongside robust food management procedures and everyday good practices are crucial to keep performing at high standards.”

Taking the top spot for the South East was Hastings with an average rating of 4.84 from 391 places. View the full report online at https://tinyurl.com/Food-Hygiene-2024-Report