The local authorities across Scotland with the highest pass ratings for their food hygiene inspections have been revealed.
The report, produced by online training providers, High Speed Training, analysed Food Standards Agency (FSA) data for almost 240,000 food businesses across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and found that, in Scotland alone, the average pass rating across all food establishments in 2026 was 90.7%.
Analysing food establishments in four categories – Restaurants/Cafes/Canteens, Takeaways/Sandwich Shops, Pubs/Bars/Nightclubs and Hotels/Bed & Breakfasts/Guest Houses – the report revealed that the top spot in Scotland went to South Ayrshire, with a pass rate of 98.78% from over 400 premises.
The most significant improvement in pass rate was seen in Perth and Kinross, which improved by 2.71% from 2025. Meanwhile, the biggest drop was experienced by Orkney Islands, which fell 12 places in the rankings. It also saw the biggest decrease in its pass rate, which fell by 3.44% from 2025.
The lowest pass rate in Scotland went to Highland, with a pass rate of 78.26%, though this was a slight improvement on its 2025 score.
Glasgow just edged the battle of the major cities, with a pass rate of 88.20% to Edinburgh’s 87.42%, placing them in 25th and 27th spot respectively. Both cities saw a small decrease in their pass rates from 2025.
The report, which is now in its fifth consecutive year, has seen average pass rates increase across Scotland from 2022, when the average pass rate across all local authorities was 91.8% up to a high of 92.5% two years later.
The Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS), evaluates businesses on their food hygiene practices. After an EHO has reviewed the safety systems, observed food hygiene in practice and spoken with the staff, the businesses are given either: Pass – The business meets the legal standard of food hygiene, or: Improvement Required – The legal standard of food hygiene was not evident during the inspection. The business will need to improve certain areas to then qualify for a pass.
Visit www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/food-hygiene-ratings-report/ to view the report in full.