Bolton ranked one of the worst areas in the UK for food hygiene

Figures compiled by Flux IoT using data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) show that only 50.7 per cent of Bolton’s food businesses hold a five-star hygiene rating, well below the UK average of around 85 per cent.

Out of 2,346 registered food establishments in the borough, 116 have been rated zero or one, including 10 classed as requiring “urgent improvement”.

Overall, Bolton has an average hygiene rating of 4.2 out of five, with 70.29 per cent of businesses achieving four or five stars.

However, 5.07 per cent fall into the lowest categories, which is above the national average.

Bolton also lags behind nearby areas, with 58.6 per cent of food businesses in Manchester rated five stars.

Within Greater Manchester, Bolton ranks as the second-worst borough for food hygiene, ahead of only Wigan, where just 49.1 per cent of establishments have the top rating.

Trafford performs the best in the region, with 72.1 per cent of businesses receiving a five-star rating.

Standards vary across Bolton, with some areas performing better than others.

Halliwell has an average rating of 4.4, with 66.46 per cent of its 164 establishments achieving five stars.

However, 4.27 per cent of businesses in Halliwell are rated between zero and one.

Astley Bridge has an average rating of 4.1, with 51.69 per cent of its 590 establishments receiving five stars.

In contrast, 6.1 per cent of businesses in Astley Bridge fall into the lowest rating bands.

Food hygiene ratings are awarded by local authority inspectors under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS), which scores businesses from zero, meaning urgent improvement is needed, to five, meaning very good.

Inspectors assess how food is handled, prepared, cooked and stored, the cleanliness and condition of the premises, and how food safety is managed, including staff training and systems.

The ratings reflect standards at the time of inspection, although businesses are required to comply with food hygiene law at all times.

A Bolton Council spokesperson said: “All businesses receive a written report following the inspection which identifies the contraventions of food safety legislation identified during the inspection. 

“Where a business obtains a rating of 2 or below, an enforcement revisit is carried out to ensure any necessary works are carried out and standards improve. 

“However, unless a re-inspection is requested and paid for, the rating will remain the same until the next routine inspection of the business.  

“Once an operator has made the required improvements following an inspection, they can request a re-inspection to improve their rating, and this is again carried out unannounced within a 3-month timeframe.

“All businesses receive food safety advice during their inspections and enforcement action such as service of legal notices or even closure of a food businesses is carried out where appropriate.”

Flux IoT monitors hygiene ratings for more than 600,000 UK food businesses.