St Albans has ranked as the most improved area in the East for food hygiene, according to new data.

A report published last week by High Speed Training has ranked every area of the UK for its food hygiene and broken down the results by region.

St Albans saw the highest overall increase in the East Counties region, seeing its average rating climb from 4.27 in 2023 to 4.41.

The city ranks joint 41st out of 58 nationwide, leaving it  in the bottom three for the region, ranking 14th overall.

Stevenage has taken the Hertfordshire top spot, ranking 21st in the UK, although none of its neighbours can hold a candle to Ipswich, which ranks second nationwide and by far as the best in the east.

The region as a whole took fifth place in the UK.

Luton has the unfortunate distinction of being ranked as the worst area in the region for food hygiene.

The ratings are calculated by analysing more than 215,000 food businesses across the country and crunching the numbers to give consumers an overview of the state of play in their area.

The Food Standards Agency visits businesses and grades them on a scale of one to five. Businesses must then display their rating prominently.

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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."