Person wearing gloves holds takeaway food — The best and worst places for food hygiene in the South West have been revealed. Picture: High Speed Training.

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Revealed: Best and worst places for food hygiene in South West as Salisbury rises through the rankings

Jamie JonesAugust 9, 20260 Comment0

THE best and worst places for food hygiene have been revealed with businesses in Salisbury seeing their hard work paying off, with the city rising through the rankings, as the South West took the top spot nationally.

A report from online training provider High Speed Training analysed Food Standards Agency (FSA) data for almost 240,000 food businesses across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and found the average food hygiene rating across all food establishments in the South West was 4.69 from 21,038 premises, placing the region first in the national rankings.

Salisbury, with an average score of 4.66, had the biggest ranking improvement across the region, moving up four positions from its 2025 rank of 10th. Now ranked sixth in the South West, the city had the biggest improvement in average rating with an increase of 0.19 – up from 4.47 in 2025.

The report analysed food establishments in four categories: restaurants/cafes/canteens, takeaways/sandwich shops, pubs/bars/nightclubs and hotels/bed & breakfasts/guest houses. After filtering, if a business did not have a current rating or an inspection result then the entry was omitted from the analysis.

A similar report run in 2025 calculated the South West’s score at 4.67, showing that food hygiene standards have also improved slightly across the region.

The top spot in the South West went to Poole, with an impressive average score of 4.83 from over 400 premises, placing them 6th in the national rankings for towns and cities. The lowest average rating in the region went to Bath, with an average score of 4.44, meaning they rank joint 38th in the national rankings, though their rating did improve by 0.11 from 2025.

Now in its fifth consecutive year, the report has found over that time, average ratings have increased, from an average of 4.49 in 2022 to 4.58 in 2026.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is a partnership with local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 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.

Dr Richard Anderson, Director of Learning at High Speed Training, said: “Food safety and robust hygiene practices should be of paramount importance to food businesses, and to the customers who use them. Over the last five years, we have seen trends broadly improve across the whole of the UK, which is a really positive sign. These ratings are a direct reflection of how safely and hygienically that establishment operates, and we urge businesses and customers to take them seriously.

“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, and may have a significant impact on reputation and profitability.

“We would urge customers to always check the food hygiene ratings of establishments they wish to dine at, as it allows them to make an informed decision when choosing where to eat.”

To view the report in full, and to see how your area compares to others, visit the High Speed Training website.