Food hygiene, deprivation, types of premises and rates of gastrointestinal illnesses in the UK.
OBJECTIVE
To understand more about the relationship between economic deprivation, types of premises, food hygiene scores and rates of gastrointestinal illness in the UK.


METHODS
Data were extracted from the UK Food Standards Agency for about 300 000 UK premises which had hygiene scores based on visits from local authority food safety officers. These scores were analysed by type of premises, deprivation and local authority. Local authority-level average scores were mapped and compared with rates of laboratory-detected gastrointestinal illness from the Health Protection Agency.


METHODS
UK.


METHODS
UK premises (n 311 458) from 341 local authority areas that sell or produce food.


RESULTS
There was a modest but statistically significant relationship between average food hygiene score and deprivation, which was caused by deprived areas having more of the categories of premises with significantly lower hygiene scores; these were pub/club (n 40 525), restaurant/café/canteen (n 73 052), small retailer (n 42 932) and takeaway (n 36 708). No relationship was established between local authority average food hygiene scores and rates of laboratory-detected gastrointestinal illness; however, this result does not preclude a relationship between food hygiene and rates of gastrointestinal illnesses, as laboratory-detected illness rates make up only a small proportion of actual rates of illness in the community.


CONCLUSIONS
Certain types of UK premises are more likely to have low hygiene scores, which means that they should be targeted more for enforcement. These types of premises are more prevalent in the most economically deprived areas.
Research Fellow in Health Economics,Public Health - Wirral Council/University of Liverpool,Old Market House,Hamilton Street,Birkenhead,Merseyside,CH41 5AL,UK.
Brendan
B
Collins
D016208:Databases, Factual; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005522:Food Services / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D020407:Internet; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012042:Registries; D012147:Restaurants / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D012306:Risk; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
Deprivation; Food Standards Agency; Food hygiene; Premises; UK