FOOD businesses in Scotland have been identified as the most hygienic across the UK, with the city of Stirling achieving a near-perfect rating.
Consumer group Which? has called for greater transparency about such data as it revealed the countrywide ratings.
It said around 2.4 million people suffered from foodborne disease in the UK every year, and hygiene standards were especially important during the coronavirus lockdown.
Thousands of restaurants and cafes have been forced to shut their doors because of the pandemic, but many have switched to offering home deliveries as a way of retaining customers.
Scotland has its own food hygiene rating system and the Which? study showed takeaways and other restaurants in Stirling achieved a near-perfect rating of 98%.
However, at the other end of the scale was Aberdeen city, where around a quarter (24%) of businesses were told they needed to improve.
Scotland and England are the only parts of the UK where it is not mandatory for food businesses to display their food hygiene ratings, which makes it harder for consumers to find out if a restaurant or takeaway has acceptable hygiene standards.
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Stirling was followed by Gloucester, which achieved a rating of 90%.
The five worst areas for food hygiene in England were all in London – Ealing, Enfield, Lambeth, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
Lisa Barber, editor of Which? Magazine said: “Our research has found that while some areas are blessed with impressive food hygiene levels across the board, others have large numbers of food businesses, including restaurants and takeaways, with sloppy standards that risk making customers seriously ill.
“There is strong evidence to suggest that food businesses up their game when they know they will have to prominently display their hygiene rating.
“It must urgently become mandatory for food businesses, including restaurants and takeaways, to display their score on the premises and online, so customers can make informed choices.”
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