Northampton named lowest-rated town in East Midlands for food hygiene despite improvement
Northampton has been ranked as the lowest-performing town or city in the East Midlands for food hygiene ratings, despite recording an improvement over the past year.
A new report by online training provider High Speed Training, which analysed Food Standards Agency data, gave Northampton an average food hygiene rating of 4.38 out of five across its food businesses.
Although the score has increased by 0.04 since 2025, Northampton still finished fifth and last in the East Midlands rankings, placing it joint 43rd nationally.
The report found that Northampton was one of the biggest improvers in the region, climbing two places in the rankings compared with last year.
Across the East Midlands as a whole, the average food hygiene rating was 4.64 from more than 16,000 food premises, making it the fourth highest-rated region in the UK.
Lincoln topped the regional table with an average score of 4.85, followed by Chesterfield (4.73), Nottingham (4.73), Leicester (4.51), Derby (4.46) and Northampton (4.38).
The report also found that 90.28 per cent of food businesses across the East Midlands achieved a food hygiene rating of four or five, while 77.77 per cent received the top rating of five.
Dr Richard Anderson, director of learning at High Speed Training, said: "Food safety and robust hygiene practices should be of paramount importance to food businesses and to the customers who use them.
"We would urge customers to always check the food hygiene ratings of establishments they wish to dine at, as it allows them to make an informed decision when choosing where to eat."
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is run by the Food Standards Agency and local authorities, with businesses awarded a rating from zero to five following inspections assessing hygiene standards, food handling and safety management.