A new food standards analysis has revealed the East Midlands regions, which have the highest percentage of low food hygiene scores in 2026.
The figures, compiled by Cairn Catering Engineers, are based on Food Standards Agency data and have been revealed on Monday, November 9.
We have used the data to create a Derbyshire Food Hygiene ranking, based on the percentage of food venues which have received a food hygiene rating of two or below in each council area in the county.
Food venues across the country are rated by the Food Standards Agency on the standard of food hygiene on the date of the inspection by the local authority.
Each business is given a rating from zero to five – with five meaning hygiene standards are ‘very good’ and zero that ‘urgent improvement is required’.
A four-star rating means hygiene standards are good, while three stars suggest that hygiene is ‘generally satisfactory’.
A two-out-of-five score means that ‘some improvement is necessary’ and one star that ‘major improvement is necessary’.
Commenting on the newly released figures, Richard Barker, co-founder of Cairn Catering Engineers, said: "A low rating isn't always about a dirty kitchen. Fridges that won't hold their temperature, broken probes and missing temperature records all cost marks, and most of it is quick to put right before the inspector calls."
9. Derby (2)
In Derby 1,937 food venues were rated and 74 received scores of 2 or below. This gives Derby a score of (3.8%, up from 3.5% last year. The average score was 4.52. 18 businesses received a rating of zero. This is the second worst score in Derbyshire and third across the East Midlands.
10. Derbyshire Dales (1)
Derbyshire Dales have had the highest share of poorly rated food businesses in Derbyshire and took the second place across the East Midlands' 35 council areas. Of 824 food businesses in the region, 4.2% were rated two or below - above national average of 3.1% across England. This is less than 5.2% last year. Ashfield was the only area in East Midlands which scored worse. The average food hygiene rating in Derbyshire Dales was 4.45 and one venue had a rating of zero when the data was collected.