A new study has revealed the Scottish council areas with the highest and lowest food hygiene pass rates. Highland has the lowest pass rate at 78.26 per cent, while South Ayrshire tops the list with 98.78 per cent.
Highland's response
The report, from online training provider High Speed Training, analysed Food Standards Agency (FSA) data for almost 240,000 food businesses across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Scotland has two main ratings: 'pass' or 'improvement required'.
Highland ranked 32nd with a pass rate of 78.26 per cent, a slight improvement of 0.38 per cent from the previous year. The Highland Council acknowledged it is not meeting all food hygiene intervention targets due to resourcing challenges, but has restructured its food safety team and appointed three Graduate Trainee Environmental Health officers and two Trainee Food Safety Officers.
A council spokesperson said: "The Council's Environmental Health team has a wide range of statutory duties, including the enforcement of food safety legislation. The Council covers a large geographical area, with a diverse range of food businesses operating across urban, rural and island communities."
They added: "Team resources are prioritised towards areas of greatest public health risk and, last year, officers carried out more than 700 inspections of food businesses across the Highlands. Where inspections identify that improvements are required, officers work closely with businesses to ensure standards are improved and maintained. However, where necessary, formal enforcement action is taken, with the team serving 15 Hygiene Improvement Notices and 6 Remedial Action/Closure Notices during the last year."
Bottom five and biggest drop
The Shetland Islands had the second-lowest pass rate at 79.75 per cent, followed by Aberdeen City (82.38 per cent), South Lanarkshire (84.30 per cent) and Aberdeenshire (85.71 per cent). The Orkney Islands saw the biggest drop, falling 12 places with a pass rate of 92.81 per cent, a decrease of 3.44 per cent.
Scotland's average pass rate is 92.16 per cent in 2026, slightly down from 92.22 per cent in 2025.
Top performers and cities
South Ayrshire topped the list with 98.78 per cent across more than 400 premises, consistently holding the top spot in previous reports. Among Scotland's biggest cities, Glasgow ranked 25th with 88.2 per cent, while Edinburgh was 27th with 87.42 per cent, both seeing small decreases from 2025.
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. Over the last five years, we have seen trends broadly improve across Scotland, which is a really positive sign."
He added: "These ratings are a direct reflection of how safely and hygienically that establishment operates, and we urge businesses and customers to take them seriously. For businesses that perform well, it can be a real selling point. However, establishments with a low hygiene rating can be extremely off-putting for customers, which ultimately have a significant impact on reputation and profitability."
Dr Anderson concluded: "Our report shows that, on average, standards remain high across the whole of the UK. This commitment to correct food hygiene training for staff, alongside robust food management procedures and everyday good practices are crucial to not only performing well as a business, but attracting and retaining customers. We would urge customers to always check the establishments they wish to dine at, as it allows them to make an informed decision when choosing where to eat."
