Highlands restaurants have worst hygiene in Scotland, as food safety stats revealed

THE Highlands region has the worst food hygiene in Scotland, and recorded the lowest pass rate in the country at 78.26%, although this represented a slight improvement of 0.38% from the previous year. South Ayrshire retained its title as the top area in Scotland for food hygiene, achieving a pass rate of 98.78%. Conversely, the Orkney Islands experienced the sharpest decline in performance, dropping 12 places to 18th overall after its pass rate fell by 3.44%. In Scotland, food hygiene is measured by a binary standard under the Food hygiene information scheme, which assigns restaurants either a “pass” or an “improvement required” rating. For local authorities with over 1,000 premises, Fife performed best, securing sixth place with a pass rate of 97.29%.