Northern Ireland's impressive food hygiene ratings have just been revealed

Northern Ireland has the highest rating of all regions in the UK, with an average Food Hygiene of 4.68 out of 5.

Lisburn and Castlereagh City were one of three top local districts, appearing alongside Mid and East Antrim, as well as Mid Ulster.

The ‘bottom’ three local districts were Belfast City, Derry City and Strabane, Ards and North Down. Ards and North Down remain bottom of the Northern Ireland rankings, though saw a slight increase from 2022, up 0.03 to 4.60.

However, Belfast has the third highest average rating in the whole of the UK when compared with other larger towns and cities (with over 1,000 establishments), with the gap between the top region and the bottom region only 0.21, the smallest spread of any region in the UK.

Antrim and Newtownabbey recorded the biggest ratings drop, by 0.08 to 4.62.

However rather impressively, no region in Northern Ireland has a lower average rating than 4.6.

High Speed Training’s report also found that more than 1 in 10 takeaways (13 per cent) across Northern Ireland scored a 3 or below for their food hygiene rating, and that an impressive 94% of premises scored a 4 or a 5 on their rating.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is a partnership with local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The scheme aims to provide customers with information as to how well a business is upholding food hygiene and safety standards.

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 (FSA) website and are usually visible from outside of the premises, often presented in a window near the entrance.

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.

The report, from online training provider High Speed Training, analysed Food Standards Agency (FSA) data for over 218,000 food businesses across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, found that in Northern Ireland, the average food hygiene rating across all food establishments was a highly impressive 4.68 from over 6,700 premises, placing it atop the national rankings when compared to regions of the UK.

A similar report run in 2022 by High Speed Training calculated the country’s score at 4.69, showing that food hygiene standards have stayed roughly the same in the country.

Dr Richard Anderson, Head of Learning and Development at High Speed Training comments: “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 for customers to check FHRS ratings - they are a direct reflection of how safely and hygienically that establishment operates.

“Our report shows that, on average, standards remain high across the UK, and have slightly improved from 2022.

“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!”