This year's most hygienic supermarket has just been named - and it's not one of the 'big four' supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.
Based on an analysis of food hygiene ratings that were carried out by Property Inspect and using data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), it looks like one supermarket swept the competition, reports The Mirror.
In a unanimous decision, the latest FSA inspection has found that Aldi is the most hygienic supermarket in the whole of the country.
On the other end of the scale, results found that Co-op is the supermarket that needs the most improvement.
The research findings come as shoppers are becoming more aware of the hygiene ratings of the supermarkets they shop in following the pandemic.
The study identified the proportion of each supermarket’s stores that received a maximum rating of five in their latest FSA inspection.
Fans of the popular budget supermarket will be delighted to hear that, out of 744 stores, 99.73% of Aldi shops are rated a five-star for their cleanliness.
They were then followed closely by Waitrose at 98.24% and M&S at 96.72%.
At the other end of the spectrum, 88.64% of Co-op stores and 89.62% of Asda supermarkets were rated a five.
Sainsbury’s took fourth place, and was followed by Iceland, Lidl, Tesco and Morrisons.
Aldi UK communications director Richard Thornton said: “Customer and colleague safety remains the number one priority in all our stores across the UK, and we take pride in meeting the highest standards.
"Our top rating in this latest analysis of the Food Standards Agency hygiene scheme is thanks to the excellent work of our store teams in ensuring all Aldi stores are clean, safe and welcoming for the millions of customers that shop at Aldi.”
Property Inspect commercial director Warrick Swift said: “More can be done to ensure the safety of their customers across the UK.
“This is an issue where shoppers will vote with their feet which grocery stores of all kinds should pay close attention to.
“With more people than ever assessing the hygiene quality of stores they choose to buy from, sophistication in cleaning processes has never been more essential.”
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