Photo by Seoulful Adventures on flickr

A new scheme by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published all hygiene ratings for businesses that deal in food as assessed by local councils. Businesses are assessed using a five star rating system – 0 stars indicate ‘urgent improvement necessary’ while 5 stars indicate ‘very good’.

The worst businesses in Preston who scored 0 stars were Curry Cottage, Drumstix, Pak Sweet Centre & Takeaway, Sandos and Cafe Bar. There were 336 outlets assessed in the PR1 postcode, and you can view a full list of them here. The Equator Arts Cafe, Mad Ferret and New Continental fared much better, all achieving a five star rating.

The system has been designed to provide consumers with clearer information about hygiene, say the FSA.

As well as restaurants and takeaways, the system also covers supermarkets, work canteens, hotels, schools, care homes and food shops. Inspectors assessed the hygiene rating of a business by how hygienically the food is handled, cooked and stored, as well as the condition of the building itself.

Below I’ve mapped a few popular eateries within the PR1 postcode so you can find those nearest to you, and may provide a few surprises.

Red pins indicate 0 stars, (urgent improvement necessary)

Purple pins indicate 1 star, (major improvement necessary)

Yellow pins indicate 2 stars, (improvement necessary)

Blue pins indicate 5 stars (very good)

View Preston eateries rated by Hygiene rating in a larger map

Don’t forget, you can search the full bank of information at ratings.food.gov.uk, and access the full list of businesses assessed within PR1 here.