THE Forest of Dean has the best food hygiene record in Gloucestershire, according to a new analysis.

Cairn Catering Engineers analysed data from the Food Standards Agency, as of late June 2026. It then looked at each district's figures with its ceremonial county and ranked worst to best by percentage rated two or below.

The Forest of Dean had just 0.15 per cent of premises rated 2 or below, with an average of 4.94 out of 5. That is among the very best of any area in the country. Elsewhere in Gloucestershire, Stroud came out the worst with 2.03 per cent.

The analysis showed the Forest of Dean has 682 rated premises, and 646 of those had the top rating of 5. Just a single premises in the Forest of Dean had a zero rating, and there were no 1 or 2 rated premises.

Richard Barton, Lead Catering Engineer of Cairn Catering Engineers said: “The Forest of Dean's record is genuinely impressive - almost no premises are rated poorly, which puts it among the best areas in the country. When a business anywhere does score badly, in our experience it's rarely the food itself - it's more often the equipment or the record-keeping, things like refrigeration drifting out of temperature or cleaning logs slipping. That the Forest has so few low-rated premises suggests its food businesses are staying on top of exactly those things.”

Food Standards Agency’s Food Hygiene Ratings uses a scale which runs from 0 to 5, where 5 is the top rating (very good hygiene standards) and 0 is the worst (urgent improvement needed).

You can find out more information about Food Hygiene Ratings or search for current ratings by visiting the Food Standards Agency website.