Martin Lewis sends message to millions of households over 'lies' and says 'worth noting'

Consumer expert Martin Lewis spoke out on X

Martin Lewis has issued a tip to households about how they can be sure of a takeaway or restaurant's hygiene rating. The consumer expert posted on X after a BBC investigation revealed food businesses had been "lying" about their hygiene scores.

Eateries are given a rating out of five following an inspection by hygiene officials. Those with ratings of five have been confirmed to have clean and healthy premises and those with low scores like zero or one must make urgent improvements.

Any business selling food can be subject to an inspection, including restaurants, takeaways, sandwich shops and supermarkets. They are not legally required to display their hygiene ratings for customers to see.

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And the BBC found some businesses had been displaying incorrect results. Martin Lewis has now reminded people about the best way to check the accurate rating of a business.

He posted on X: "Interesting story about places lying about their food hygiene by displaying incorrect info. Worth noting you can look up a place's hygiene ratings easily here... https://ratings.food.gov.uk"

The BBC investigation found dozens of businesses incorrectly displaying hygiene ratings, including a branch of Sainsbury's in London. Anyone who wants to double check the rating of an eatery to be sure where they are buying from is healthy can do so online.

Businesses which get ratings of zero or one are usually found to have serious hygiene failings. They are told to make urgent improvements and are usually subject to routine inspections. In the worst circumstances, businesses can be shut down by health officials.