Revealed: The best and worst places in Yorkshire & Humber for food hygiene ratings - Doncaster has the lowest
The towns and cities across Yorkshire and Humberside that score highest and lowest for their food hygiene ratings have been revealed, thanks to a report from online training provider High Speed Training, marking 15 years since the introduction of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.
Rotherham, ranked 1st in Yorkshire and Humberside, has the highest rating of 4.78, decrease of 0.03 from 2024, while Doncaster is ranked 13th with the lowest rating of 4.33. The change in rating from 2024 was a decrease of 0.07.
Barnsley (ranked 4th) and Halifax (ranked 10th) had the biggest improvement in ranking, both moving up 4 positions from their 2024 ranks of 8th and 14th respectively.
York, which is now ranked 8th in the region, had the biggest drop in ranking, moving down 3 positions from its 2024 rank of 5th, losing 0.11 from their rating.
Ranked 10th, Halifax had the biggest improvement in average rating with an increase of 0.19. Its average rating in 2024 was 4.20.
Across the region, there were 21,098 premises analysed. This is an increase of 47 from 2024.
18.0% of takeaways and sandwich shops in Yorkshire and Humberside scored a 0, 1, 2, or 3.
Across the region, 21 premises scored a 0 and 280 premises scored a 1.
The total number of premises scoring a 0, 1, 2, or 3 was 2,166.
89.7% of all premises in Yorkshire and Humberside scored a 4 or a 5.
91.2% of restaurants, cafes, and canteens in the region scored a 4 or a 5.
Overall region change: 2025: 4.58 - 2024: 4.57
The report, which analysed Food Standards Agency (FSA) data for over 240,000 food businesses across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, found that in Yorkshire and Humberside, the average food hygiene rating across all food establishments was 4.58 from 21,098 premises, which places the region 5th in the national rankings.
A similar report run in 2024 by High Speed Training calculated Yorkshire and Humberside’s score at 4.57, showing that food hygiene standards have improved across the region in recent years.
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) is a partnership with local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that was launched in 2010. It replaced a number of regional schemes, with the aim of providing hygiene information clearly and more effectively across the UK. Following regular inspections, ratings are devised based on the standard of food handling hygiene, the physical condition of the premises and facilities and food safety management practices.
Paul Turner CEnvH, MCIEH, an Environmental Health Officer for North Yorkshire Council, said: “Since its inception 15 years ago, the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme has played a pivotal role in improving standards across the UK. It has been incredibly successful in allowing local authorities and EHOs to effectively engage with both businesses and consumers to communicate important messages around food hygiene and safety.
“Prior to the launch, a number of regional ‘Scores on the Doors’ schemes existed that, though they were effective, didn’t easily allow for national comparison and benchmarking. A national standard means greater consistency for businesses and provides the public easy access to this vital information.
“However, we would welcome some updates to the FHRS to make it more suitable for the current landscape, which relies heavily on food delivery apps and aggregators. We would like to see this information displayed more prominently across these apps, perhaps with a traffic light system for easy identification.
“We are also always pushing to make the display of food hygiene ratings in England mandatory, as it is in Wales and Northern Ireland, to ensure that consumers have all the information they need to make informed choices about where to spend their hard-earned money.”