You want to make sure that the food you're buying is being prepared or sold at a hygienic premises.

But, surprisingly, there are many restaurants, takeaways and shops in west London that have scored zero out of five in the food hygiene ratings.

With a whopping 46 establishments with a zero rating in Ealing alone, 29 in Westminster, and more across Hillingdon, Hounslow and Hammersmith, it pays to check before you eat.

So next time you're planning on tucking into a takeaway or dining out, you might want to have a peek at the scores on the doors first.

How do you get a zero?

A zero is scored if inspectors observe failures including an infestation of vermin, or serious amounts of rubbish and filth.

According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), businesses that score zero tend to have a history of serious problems and are likely to be performing poorly in the three areas food safety officers inspect, which are:

  • How hygienically food is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored.
  • The cleanliness, layout, lighting and ventilation of the building.
  • The systems in place to make sure food is safe for consumption.

Use the searchable tool below to see which food premises have a zero rating for hygiene from the FSA:

Some of the eateries that made the zero list:

Hammersmith & Fulham

A A Fisheries
110 North End Road, West Kensington, W14 9PP
Date of last inspection: March 23 2015

Goldhawk Fish Bar
73 Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's Bush, W12 8EG
Date of last inspection: April 30 2015

Rimal Stores
118 Galloway Road, Shepherd's Bush, W12 0PJ
Date of last inspection: April 16 2015

Sacred
Kiosk 1019B, Westfield London Shopping Centre, Ariel Way, White City, W12 7GQ
Date of last inspection: May 6 2015

Kensington & Chelsea

Café La Liaison
Unit 6A Gloucester Road Arcade, 128 Gloucester Road, South Kensington, SW7 4SF
Date of last inspection: January 22 2015

Lakwatsa
Ground Floor, 7 Blenheim Crescent, Ladbroke Grove, W11 2EE
Date of last inspection: January 28 2015

Hillingdon

Coffee Box
Hayes End Post Office, 1262 Uxbridge Road, Hayes, UB4 8JF
Date of last inspection: December 10 2014

IVY-G Ltd
7 Coldharbour Lane, Hayes, UB3 3EA
Date of last inspection: July 14 2014

Krishna Cash & Carry
704-710 Uxbridge Road, Hayes, UB4 0RX
Date of last inspection: January 16 2015

London Hong Kong Restaurant
388 Bath Road, Heathrow, UB7 0DH
Date of last inspection: February 25 2015

Mama Africa Restaurant
88 East Avenue, Hayes, UB3 2HR
Date of last inspection: April 9 2015

S. Fish Market
532-534 Uxbridge Road, Hayes, UB4 0SA
Date of last inspection: December 4 2014

Sarasas
630-634 Uxbridge Road, Hayes, UB4 0RY
Date of last inspection: February 18 2015

The Yellow Chilli
The Crane, Watersplash Lane, Hayes, UB3 4QS
Date of last inspection: April 30 2015

Usmania Halal Meat
18 Botwell Lane, Hayes, UB3 2AA
Date of last inspection: October 21 2014

Uxbridge Supermarket
227 High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1EU
Date of last inspection: March 26 2015

All ratings were correct as of Friday (June 26) 2015.

Ratings may change following further inspections. For more information, head to the FSA website.