Tesco came out worst for hygiene in a recent study after it was revealed that 29 of its supermarkets failed inspections aimed to protect customers from food poisoning.
It was one of five chains that saw its stores fall foul of basic checks from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), according to figures from between 2012 and 2013 that were published in The Sun.
Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Aldi also had stores that failed to meet expected standards, according to the data.
Altogether, the FSA reviewed hygiene practices at a total of 11,106 supermarkets in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Of that number, 510 did not maintain standard levels of hygiene.
The data, which is regularly updated on the agency's website, reflects the standards of food hygiene found on the date of inspection or visit by the relevant local authority.
Each premises visited is given a rating between zero and five - with two or below indicating that it does not meet the expected standards.
Of the 1,789 Tesco stores that were reviewed, five received a 'one' rating. Of the 440 Asda stores that were inspected, five failed, while four of Sainsbury's 994 stores did not pass, according to The Sun.
Just two of the 516 Morrisons supermarkets inspected were found inadequate, and one of Aldi's 382 inspected stores failed.
All other 'fails' received by big chain supermarkets, including the 24 other Tesco stores, were awarded at a 'two' grade.
Lidl and Waitrose were the only two of the 'big seven' supermarket chains which saw all stores pass reviews carried out by the local council into their hygiene practices
None of the chains inspected received zero, which would mean that the supermarket is in need of urgent improvement.
A spokesperson for Tesco told The Sun: 'We take food safety and store hygiene extremely seriously and ensure all our shops are checked thoroughly on a daily basis. While any reported low score is clearly disappointing , these stores represent just one per cent of our shop estate in the UK.
'We’d like to reassure customers that when any issues are brought to our attention they are dealt with immediately by store colleagues.'
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