Is YOUR favorite restaurant, cafe or cafe one of the 50,000 that have NEVER been inspected? Find out with our interactive map

Nearly 50,000 restaurants, takeaways, cafes, pubs and B&Bs in Britain have never been inspected, MailOnline can reveal today.

It means that one in twelve eateries is actually operating under the radar.

Another 160,000 have not been checked in more than two years, our audit shows.

Experts warn that poor hygiene practices can go unnoticed due to delayed investigations, putting unsuspecting customers at risk of becoming ill or even dying.

Driven by the knowledge that there is little chance of being caught, rogue properties can ‘cut corners and ignore safety measures’, a union chief has claimed.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that businesses are inspected depending on the risk, ranging from once every six months to two years.

In some extremely low-risk premises – such as newsagents, market stalls and cricket clubs – the intervals between checks may be even longer.

Post-Covid backlogs and an ongoing recruitment crisis are behind the delays, which have been branded a ‘serious public health problem’ by unions.

Councils are individually responsible for inspecting sites to ensure food is handled, stored and served safely.

This could include retailers, workplaces, schools, hospitals and even prisons.

Mike Short, head of local government for UNISON – a union representing many people working in environmental health departments at council level, said inspection services are a “shadow of what they were” due to cuts.

He said: ‘Low salaries for high-expertise jobs also mean councils struggle to recruit and retain employees.

‘The higher demands, including additional burdens due to Brexit and the pandemic, have also increased the pressure while there are already too few staff.’

‘Without investment, training and recruitment, serious threats to public health can arise.

“Some food companies might cut corners and ignore safety measures when there is little chance of inspection. That could allow serious bugs to circulate and allow ingredients that cause food allergies to go unchecked.

‘Councils must be given the funding to build competent inspection teams that can protect communities and advise food businesses on how to operate safely, rather than risking people getting sick or dying.’

MailOnline analyzed almost 600,000 businesses registered with local authorities as serving food.

Over the past year, the number of locations awaiting inspection has increased from 39,500 to 49,501. The FSA said this figure stood at 49,473 as of Friday, November 29. It said businesses deemed to be in higher risk categories would be prioritized for inspection.

According to FSA statistics, only Anglesey in Wales had all food venues inspected.

However, 246 – or 32 percent – ​​had not been inspected in the past two years.

All outlets in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are rated on a scale between zero and five. Two or less is considered a failure.

Low ratings have been given to properties caught with rat droppings in food preparation areas or where raw or rotten meat is kept.

In the most extreme circumstances, inspectors may order the immediate closure of a site, which could lead to prosecution.

In Scotland, outlets are rated on a two-point scale: ‘satisfactory’ or ‘requires improvement’.

Businesses with poor food standards are also at risk of closure and possible prosecution.

The Highlands, Glasgow City, Argyll and Bute, Southampton, Epsom and Ewell, Pembrokeshire, West Lothian, Hackney, Liverpool and South Hams have the worst inspection rates, the analysis shows – ranging from 43.02 per cent of businesses not inspected in the Highlands , up to 20.22 percent in Zuidhams.

The numbers can change daily. MailOnline’s analysis was correct on November 27, 2024.

Katie Pettifer, interim chief executive of the FSA, told MailOnline: ‘Overall, food hygiene standards in Britain remain very high, but we need to invest to keep them high. We are concerned about the declining number of food safety officers working in local governments, at a time when the number of food companies is growing.

‘Responsible companies don’t want to make their customers sick, but with fewer food safety officers, companies are not receiving the same level of advice, support and expertise. It takes time to recruit and develop skilled officers, so we are asking UK governments, local authorities and others to work with us to boost the workforce for the future, so people can continue to have the food they can rely on can trust.’

Of the thousands of businesses awaiting inspection, 5,770 are takeaways, 1,990 pubs, bars and nightclubs, 10,790 restaurants, cafes and canteens, along with 920 hotels and bed and breakfasts.

About 4,900 mobile caterers, including food trucks and ice cream vans, have not been inspected.

The other locations are schools, colleges and universities ‘care buildings’ such as hospitals, crèches, clinics and nursing homes.

Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the FSA, admitted last month that there was a problem with hiring inspectors.

In the organization’s annual report she wrote: ‘The UK food system continued to face significant challenges in 2023, with rising costs of living and inflation continuing to impact consumer grocery bills, and food companies struggling with labor shortages and increased supply chain costs.

‘Despite these pressures, our food standards remain high and there is much to celebrate in the resilience of the UK food system.

‘However, I remain concerned about the ongoing shortage of the key professionals we need to keep our food safe. Our report also highlights the need for public health policies across Britain that tackle the causes of poor diet.

“No single organization or government can ensure that all consumers have equal access to safe, healthy and sustainable food, and we must work together to create the food system that consumers want and need in the future.”

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 101,000 businesses were due for an audit at the end of the financial year in April, the FSA said.

Local authorities have told the FSA and their Scottish counterparts that they are finding it difficult to recruit enough staff, including official veterinarians to work in slaughterhouses.

The FSA warned that there are not enough students at university completing vocational qualifications to work as inspectors in the food standards industry.

UKHospitality highlighted that the majority of businesses in Britain have achieved a five-star rating.

A spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘UKHospitality works closely with the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, publishing industry-leading food hygiene guidance specifically for the hospitality sector, developed in partnership with FSA/FSS and local authorities, to ensure food businesses get the best advice available. .

‘The latest FSA data shows that just over three quarters (75.7 per cent) of food businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland achieved a top score of 5 for hygiene, with a total of 97.1 per cent of businesses scoring satisfactory or higher. Even with challenges around re-inspections, this shows that the sector is demonstrating very high levels of compliance.

‘Despite the pressures the sector has faced in recent years, the safety of our customers remains non-negotiable and food hygiene is a key focus for companies – alongside work on allergens and food crime.’

A spokesperson for Food Standards Scotland (FSS) said: ‘We are aware that a number of food businesses in Scotland and the rest of Britain have not been inspected for some time, or, in the case of new businesses, not at all.

‘FSS has been talking for some time about the sustainability of the current model and the impact that the lack of inspection resources in LA has on the regulation of food businesses. We have raised this issue with Scottish Ministers and it is an issue that we, and other stakeholders, continue to take very seriously.

‘We know the system needs reform and are working with a range of stakeholders to consider how best to implement changes to the current system, including ensuring there is sufficient officer capacity to carry out the necessary inspections.’

According to the FSA, 97 percent of companies receive a rating of at least 3, which is the passing grade. More than three out of four receive the highest rating of 5.