A Co-op store in south east London has gone from one of the dirtiest stores in England to one of the cleanest in the space of one year.

The Co-op store located at 13-14 Carlton Parade, Orpington, BR6 0JB, was rated an overall hygiene score of 1/5 on February 14, 2023.

This means that the food hygiene at the Co-op in Orpington needed “major improvement necessary”.

However, a spokesperson for the Co-op has since confirmed that this particular store has been “re-assessed” and has been awarded a 5/5 - the highest possible score.

The Food Hygiene Rating website still displays a score of 1/5 which the spokesperson says, “will be updated soon”.

Food Standards Agency (FSA) inspects businesses across the country, assessing hygiene and safety, structural compliance, and confidence in management.

Across the UK, every food outlet including convenience stores, restaurants, hospitals, and care homes are given a hygiene rating.

What each hygiene rating means:

0 - Urgent improvement necessary

1 - Major improvement necessary

2 - Some improvement necessary

3 - Hygiene standards generally satisfactory

4 - Hygiene standards good

5 - Hygiene standards very good

Food Standards Agency gave the following scores to Co-op Orpington on February 14, 2023:

Hygienic food handing: Includes preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage Good Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building: Includes having an appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control to enable good food hygiene.

Good

Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building: Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building (including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene

Improvement necessary

Management of food safety: Checks in place to ensure food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confident that standards will be maintained in future.

Major improvement necessary

Updated scores are yet to be released on the Food Hygiene Website.

A Co-op spokesperson said: “Co-op sets the highest standards and our store in Carlton Parade, Orpington, has since been re-assessed and awarded a ‘five’, the highest possible score.”