Major supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl and Asda have failed hygiene inspections, MailOnline can reveal.
Sixteen stores scored zero – the worst possible rating.
These include a Sainsbury’s in Leyton, East London and a Morrison’s down the road in nearby Chingford.
MailOnline’s interactive map names and shames every supermarket and corner shop that failed their latest inspection.
It allows you to see whether your local is on the list.
Food Standards Agency (FSA) data shows there are 287 supermarkets which are so dirty they failed their latest published food hygiene inspection.
This, MailOnline can reveal, amounts to almost one in 40.
The term covers corner shops and smaller convenience stores, as well as massive out-of-town supermarkets.
This Sainsbury’s in Leyton, East London, pictured, received a zero food standards rating
As did this Morrison’s in nearby Chingford. A total of 16 stores across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received a zero food standards rating
According to inspection data kept by the FSA, four of the worst offenders – meaning they scored zero – were in Birmingham.
Brent and Plymouth had two each, as well as Waltham Forest — home to the Leyton and Chingford stores.
The remaining zero-rated stores were scattered across in Charnwood, Harrow, Hull City, Kingston-upon-Thames, Sandwell and Wigan.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, all venues serving food are rated on a scale between zero and five.
Businesses which score two or below have not reached the minimum standards and at least ‘some’ improvement is necessary.
Inspectors who visit such venues may find rotting food and rodent droppings or spot unsafe food storage habits.
In Scotland, venues are graded on a binary pass/fail basis.
Of the firms on the fail list outside of Scotland, MailOnline analysis of FSA data shows 127 received a rating of two.
Food Standards Agency (FSA) data shows there are 287 supermarkets which are so dirty they failed their latest published food hygiene inspection. Pictured: Pound Bargains in Wigan which is rated zero
Inspectors who visit venues rated below two may find rotting food and rodent droppings or spot unsafe food storage habits. Pictured: The site of M R Grocery in Loughborough which is rated zero
Brent and Plymouth had two supermarkets that marked zero, as well as Waltham Forest. Pictured: The site of African Grocery Ltd in Plymouth which is rated zero
A further 116 were scored one – meaning major improvement is necessary – and 16 received the lowest possible rating of zero, where ‘urgent improvement is required’.
The data was correct as of January 23, 2025.
In Scotland, 28 businesses were rated as ‘improvement required’.
Local authorities are responsible for inspecting businesses in their area at least once every two years.
This can include retailers, workplaces, schools, hospitals and even prisons.
The information on the database can change on a daily basis.
MailOnline’s analysis was accurate as of January 23, 2025.
Last December MailOnline showed how 50,000 firms serving food have never been inspected.
Businesses which score two or below have not reached the minimum standards and at least ‘some’ improvement is necessary. Pictured: The site of Temmy African Superstore in Kingston-upon-Thames which is rated zero
A further 160,000 had not been inspected in two years.
Of the 50,000 firms that had never been inspected, 1,991 of them were bars, pubs or nightclubs.
The FSA has called for increased investment by local authorities in their environmental health departments who carry out food standards inspections.
Many local authorities have struggled to recruit sufficient qualified staff and have failed to carry out enough inspections.
The FSA claims the inspection is a ‘snapshot’ of the standards of food hygiene.
Ratings do not cover issues such as the quality of food, customer service, culinary skill, presentation or comfort.
They concentrate on the handling of food, how it is stored and prepared. They also consider the cleanliness of the facilities and how food safety is managed.
