A major supermarket branch has been given a two-star food hygiene rating after inspectors discovered “dirty” shelves, mould in the fridges and freezers and bins “beyond cleaning”. Sainsbury’s in Romney Place, Maidstone was downgraded from five stars by the council’s environmental team.
The report, initially published in May, is being published now after a Freedom of Information Act request. Sainsbury’s says immediate action has been taken to correct the issues and it is now waiting to be rescored.
Inspectors visited the store on April 24 where they found cleaning procedures had “not been followed for some time”. Pictures show mould in fridge and freezer sections near meat, ready meals and tinned products.
The report said: “The shelving was dirty and had black mould growing on it. This was widespread throughout the store.”
The inspector added: “I questioned what cleaning procedures were in place and whether there were any cleaning schedules for staff. Your food manager said that the policy is to clean and clear as you go and that only the high-risk food areas had cleaning schedules.
“It was clear from my first visit that staff were not cleaning as they go and that the shelves were being replenished without cleaning.” Other issues included black mould found on suspended ceiling tiles above the bakery, and around the walls, sink and ovens in the rotisserie.
Internal bins were in a dirty condition “beyond cleaning” and were in need of replacement. The store’s boiler was also broken and the store had put in temporary hot water facilities in high-risk areas.
These provided mobile hand washing basins and urns for hot water. However there was no date given for the boiler repair, which inspectors expressed concerns over “given the standard of cleaning in store”.
A follow-up visit on May 1 found the supermarket was still in “the same dirty condition”. This led to the store being downgraded from a five-star hygiene rating to two. The inspector said: “Whilst I understand that you have had a changeover in store manager, this is not an excuse for poor cleaning, and it can be clearly shown that procedures have not been followed for some time.”
In the report dated May 6, the council’s environmental health team issued Sainsbury’s a list of improvements to be carried out in order for it to comply with food safety and hygiene legislation. It said an enforcement revisit would take place about a month later, “to determine compliance with the legal requirements raised”.
Details of that follow-up visit have not been released, but the report noted that whether improvements had been made or not, Sainsbury’s two-star rating would remain. As of August 27, 2024, the store had previously held a hygiene score of five according to the Food Safety Agency.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “Food safety is our highest priority and around 95% of our stores hold a five-star Food Hygiene Rating. On the rare occasion a store does not meet our usual high standards, we will take immediate action to put things right, as we’ve done at our Maidstone supermarket, which is currently awaiting a rescore.”
