Dead mice found in college kitchen
STOMACH-CHURNING images show the disgusting state of a kitchen during an inspection at a college.
Dead mice were found stuck to a trap underneath a fridge, and there were droppings throughout the kitchen – including on equipment and in food storage areas.
Environmental health officers made the shocking discovery during a routine food hygiene inspection at a facility run by Catering Academy Limited at Oldham College in February.
The floor underneath equipment was also ingrained with dirt and scattered with debris, and the pillar to the side of the fryer was coated in grease.
The facility at the Rochdale Road campus was given a zero food hygiene rating. Following the inspection the college has employed a new catering provider and bosses say standards have improved.
Catering Academy Limited bosses say it was an isolated incident and they take food safety very seriously.
The company – registered at Servest House on Heath Farm Business Centre in Bury St Edmunds – has now been successfully prosecuted by Oldham council.
At Tameside magistrates court, Catering Academy Limited bosses pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to comply with regulations which require food premises are to be kept clean. The company was fined £20,000, with costs of £1,550 plus a victim surcharge of £170.
Coun Arooj Shah, deputy leader of Oldham council and cabinet member for neighbourhood services, said: “Whatever scale your business operates at, large or small, it is vital that you maintain high standards of cleanliness.
“If standards drop you are potentially putting the health of people at risk, which is not acceptable and we will take action.”
A statement from Catering Academy Limited said: “Catering Academy (CAD) takes its health and safety obligations and food standards very seriously. The matter for which CAD accepted responsibility was an isolated case that happened on or around the 19th February 2018.
“CAD takes such matters extremely seriously and remedial work and additional training was undertaken post inspection by the EHO to rectify matters. There were additional factors relating to the fabric condition of the building that contributed to the problem.
“CAD, as a responsible and professional business, offered support and advice in resolving some of the underlying causes. The court took this into account and the reduced penalty reflects the proactive response that CAD had taken. The facility was subsequently re-assessed and a food hygiene rating of 4 Stars was awarded.”
A spokesman for Oldham College said: “We have now got a new catering contract. Standards have very much improved and we have had good feedback from staff and students.”