Bakery in Park Royal branch was temporarily closed last year

Frozen mouse near the door of the bakery's freezer

A cusomer bit into a cheese roll contaminated with mice droppings from Asda in Park Royal.

The store has been fined £664,000 after a court heard that the man bought the rolls on 9th September 2015 and thought that black pellets were seeds. He bit in to them before realising what he was actually eating.

He reported the matter to Ealing Council who carried out an unannounced inspection of the store on the same day and found the bakery in a filthy state.

Officers found mice faeces on bags of flour, food packaging, trolleys used for bread and shelving. A frozen mouse was found at the entrance to a walk-in freezer and food packaging was gnawed. In addition, investigations by officers found that the pest control company employed by the store had carried out at least 72 visits to the premises in the year preceding the visit indicating that the company was aware of a serious rodent problem.

Inspectors considered that the bakery posed an imminent risk to public health and the store manager agreed to a voluntary closure agreement. The rest of the store stayed open. The manager also signed a voluntary surrender agreement and disposed of the food stuffs stored in the contaminated areas

Ten days later, on 21 September, officers carried out a follow up inspection and found that Asda had carried out the required cleaning and pest-proofing. They allowed the bakery to reopen. Subsequent inspections have shown that these improvements have been maintained and the bakery is now operating to a good standard.

Asda Stores Limited appeared at Ealing Magistrates Court on 1 September, 2016. They pleaded guilty to four offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.

At a later sentencing hearing on 4 November at Uxbridge Magistrates Court, Asda Stores Limited was fined £250,000 for each of the four offences, totalling £1 million. This figure was reduced to £166,000 for each offence due to their early guilty plea and mitigating factors, leaving a final total of £664,000. They were also ordered to pay the council’s costs of £7,559.24, £500 in compensation to the customer that originally bought the contaminated rolls and a victim surcharge of £120.

Councillor Ranjit Dheer, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for community services and safety said: “This is a great result for the council and I am very pleased that the court has recognised the seriousness of these offences and has imposed such a heavy fine. People expect the highest standard when they shop for food and put their faith known brands and Asda should know better.”

Anyone with concerns regarding a food business should contact the council on 020 8825 6666 or email foodsafety@ealing.gov.uk.

8th November 2016