Ealing is in the bottom two of all boroughs across London when it comes to food hygiene, a new report has revealed.
Crunching data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), High Speed Training found that out of a possible 5 rating, Ealing scored an average of 3.92 for the 1085 food establishments in the borough. This compares to neighbours Brent scoring 4.57 while Hammersmith & Fulham scored 4.52 and Hillingdon scored 4.24. The lowest tanked borough was Waltham Forest which averaged 3.74.
The report revealed that in Ealing 29% of takeaways, and 36% of cafes/restaurants/canteens in the borough had a rating of 3 or below, 68% of all premises had a 4 or a 5, with 93% of hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses, and 87% of pubs, bars and nightclubs receiving a 4 or a 5.
In Ealing, 14 premises received a zero for their rating, with 63 receiving a 1. A rating of 5 was the most common rating across Ealing, with 499 of the 1085 premises receiving top marks.
Dr Richard Anderson, head of learning and development at High Speed Training said: “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.
“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.
“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.”