EXCLUSIVE WORST place in the UK for food standards with streets RIDDLED with zero-rated takeaways and shops

Daily Mail​

25-05-2025

Britain's worst area for food standards can be revealed today after an investigation by MailOnline.
Analysis of data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Office for National Statistics has uncovered the rate of businesses with zero-star food standards according to location per 100,000 population.
MailOnline understands that the FSA believes all firms should be able to achieve the top five-star rating and thinks business should be aiming for at least a three-star rating or above.
Yet data uncovered a slew of councils with zero stars, meaning food standards inspectors deemed 'urgent improvement is required'.
One was worse than all the rest by a long way and when the Mail visited some of the takeaways and shops to blame, it was clear to see why.
In one burger and taco joint, the boss used his bare hand to press a meat smasher into raw mince before using the same hand to lay down buns.
In others, mess was overflowing onto the floor and dirt could be seen wedged in crevices beside jars of food.
All the shops we visited were in a single area that has 76 zero-star businesses and a population of just 275,980.
That area was Labour-run Waltham Forest, in east London, where one in every 25 eateries is rated zero stars and the area has the highest rate of zero-rated establishments in the country at 27.5.
The next closest council in terms of the rate of zero-rated stores has half of that: Westminster Council, with 13.7.
Speaking to MailOnline, the Deputy Leader of Waltham Forest Conservatives accused the Council of 'turning a blind eye' to certain zero-rated shops and said it was more concerned with slapping residents with parking fines than prioritising food hygiene.
Cllr Afzal Akram said the council had its priorities wrong and called for an inquiry as to why the store was not closed down despite the report.
He said: 'When you are aware of it and you turn a blind eye, then this is just not on.
'It's dangerous. It could lead to a loss of life.
'Their priorities are wrong. Our Local Authority spends more time hitting people in the pocket with parking fines rather than on real world problems like food hygiene.'
According to a report from National Scrap Cars, Waltham Forest made the second most money from parking fines last year with £6.3million.
The Tory councillor added it was 'no surprise' that Waltham Forest has the highest rate of zero-rated food businesses in the country.
He said: 'I don't think they are putting enough resources into it. You can see where the priorities are.'
Two years ago, MailOnline visited one of Waltham Forest's Leytonstone High Road, where takeaways with dubious hygiene prepared food with their bare hands before asking customers to fork out their hard-earned cash.
Today, little has changed. The area is riddled with zero-star businesses, and it's not just junk food and takeaways.
The UK has just five major supermarket stores with zero-star ratings — two of them are on the same road in Waltham Forest.
The Council said it follows FSA guidance and could only close a store if one of its food standards officers 'finds a business's standards are very poor and there is an imminent risk to public health'.
However, MailOnline can reveal the Council kept a store open despite one of its officers stating there was an 'imminent risk to consumers'.
When our reporter put this to the council, it claimed the report 'explicitly' said: 'The imminent risk to consumers is eliminated.'
However, the council had taken this out of context. As the photo of the report below shows, it actually said: 'When such significant problems are noted it is expected that the premises should close until the imminent risk to consumers is eliminated.'
Cllr Khevyn Limbajee, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: 'Our food safety team works hard to ensure all food businesses in the borough comply with hygiene standards and keep customers safe.
The council can only enforce food standards regulations - it is the legal responsibility of the food business operators to make sure that they meet these standards.
'We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards those food businesses that fail to meet their legal requirements.
As a result, around 50 businesses are closed and prosecuted annually due to poor hygiene, inadequate food safety management, or pest-related issues.'
Regarding the report, he said: 'The inspector's report references historic pest control issues from late 2024.
'The report indicates the officer believed the store should have closed voluntarily while a significant pest problem existed – we can confirm the store did voluntarily close in November 2024 to complete pest proofing works.
'The inspection report in March 2025 noted these issues as outlined in the store's own logs.
'Although serious issues were found during this inspection, they did not require the store's closure.
'In December 2024 Waltham Forest Council was the first local authority to close and prosecute an Aldi branch after mouse droppings were discovered in packaging in its Leyton store. Aldi was fined to the tune of £64,000.
'Waltham Forest was also the first council in the UK to close a branch of McDonalds for food safety risks for over 20 years when it did so in 2021.'
Yet when the Mail visited zero-rated stores on Saturday, it wasn't hard to understand why they had received such low ratings.
Soulfoods Farmacy, on Leytonstone High Road, has a zero food hygiene rating.
However, owner Osiris Khnum, 56, who has run the shop for six years, told MailOnline his main focus was on cleanliness, health and nutrition.
The father-of-four said: 'I can't really function without cleaning the place.
'We provide food for the mind, body and spirit. We have to go back to nature for our bodies to heal.
'We keep eating these processed and genetically modified foods - we become genetically modified and sick.'
Mr Khnum claimed he had a five-star rating. In fact, it is zero, according to the FSA's webiste.
A few minutes drive away in Leyton, 24-year-old Saqib Malik runs Perfect Fried Chicken, where he has worked for six years.
An uncooked onion had been left out in the open on a counter in the kitchen area of the shop
Stuck on the wall was a 'certificate of achievement' in 'Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Catering' but it was not from the FSA.
Mr Malik said: 'We need to do these kind of courses so our ratings won't go down.
'Right now, I'll be honest, our rating is four. We are trying to get up to five. We are trying our best.'
However, according to the FSA website, Mr Malik's shop is actually rated zero.
Down the road, at Taco and Buns, owner Karym Marida, 41, said his passion was food.
In his zero-rated store, he used his bare hand to smash a burger with a metal press before using the same hand to turn over buns.
These shops were just some of the 76 in the area.
Waltham Forest was joined in the top ten by councils including Westminster, Camden and Newham, meaning London has four local authorities with some of the worst stores for food hygiene in the country.
Although Birmingham has the most zero star shops at 77, its population of 1.1mmillion means it only has a rate of 6.6 stores per 100,000 population.
A Camden Council spokesman said: 'In Camden we have over 4,000 food premises. While 23 zero-rated establishments account for just 0.5 per cent of these, their identification highlights the vital work our teams do to protect public health and keep consumers informed.
'They also work closely with businesses to ensure rapid improvements are made and high standards of food hygiene and safety are maintained.'
Pendle Council said it followed the FSA brand standard and has a zero tolerance approach to non compliant food businesses.
Sarah Whitwell, Head of Housing and Environmental Health, said: 'We serve enforcement notices, close premises and have 15 prosecutions pending for issues including food safety management and poor hygiene.
'We have also increased capacity in the service within the last 12 months to ensure that we facilitate quicker enforcement against non compliant businesses and keep the public safe.'
The Council said it encouraged residents to consult the FSA website to check the ratings before dining out.
Newham Council said: 'Our Food Safety Team actively supports all businesses, especially those needing improvements, to raise standards and help local businesses thrive.'