Food businesses in the Lewes District are above the national average for five-star hygiene ratings, according to new research.

Paddl, which provides operations management software for UK hospitality, announced that 77.2 per cent of food businesses hold a top five-star hygiene rating, when the national average is 68.8 per cent.

Paddl said its new analysis of the Food Standards Agency’s full ratings dataset breaks food hygiene scores down to council level.

A spokesperson said: “Across the UK, 31.2 per cent of businesses don’t hold a top rating and a third have not been re-inspected in over two years.”

ASK Italian, at 186 High Street, Lewes, is just one of the food businesses in the area with a five-star hygiene rating. Photo: Google Street View

placeholder image — ASK Italian, at 186 High Street, Lewes, is just one of the food businesses in the area with a five-star hygiene rating. Photo: Google Street View

Paddl said there 958 premises on the register in the Lewes area – including Seaford, Newhaven, Peacehaven and the villages – and the average mean rating is 4.77 out of 5.

A spokesperson said: “Across all 331 UK local authorities in the report, Lewes ranks 112th on average rating, and 22nd of the 64 South East authorities, level with Eastbourne on both.

“Within East Sussex, Hastings leads on 4.84 (average mean rating), then Rother on 4.83, with Lewes and Eastbourne both on 4.77 and Wealden on 4.71. Of the councils that actually border Lewes, Brighton and Hove is on 4.75 and Mid Sussex on 4.71.”

People can view the national report by Paddl at paddl-ai.co/reports/uk-food-hygiene-ratings-2026.