Booker depot in Canterbury has been allegedly told by Officials from Canterbury City Council (CCC) to clean up its act after rat droppings and gnawed bread were found during a food hygiene inspection, stated recent reports.
As reported by Kent Online today (May 16), inspectors made the discoveries while carrying out a routine visit at Booker depot in Broad Oak Road, Canterbury. The depot has been given a food hygiene score of two out of five - meaning improvement is necessary.
Following the inspection on Feb 24, concerns were raised reportedly over Booker’s demonstration of hygienic food handling practices and the cleanliness and condition of the site.
According to the media report, evidence of rat droppings was found in the warehouse and on the shop floor by the milkshakes and bread. Bread was also found to have been gnawed on by rodents, with officials warning that pest controllers must be brought in and all contaminated foods should be discarded without delay.
The shelving in the butchery area, units in the produce room and the heater area in the main shop were also flagged as high priorities for a deep clean.
The lights and ceiling in the deli freezer needed to be repaired in order to be cleaned properly. Other issues also included several surfaces and areas of the site which had become dirty.
Booker, which was acquired by Tesco in 2017 for £3.7bn, has since become one of the grocer’s best-performing subsidiaries.
A leading wholesaler for convenience stores, Booker's dominance in the UK wholesale market is underlined by the fact that more than 40 per cent of convenience retailers shop with the wholesaler.
Booker owns and operates over 190 cash and carry branches in the UK. They also have distribution centers, Best Food Logistics sites, and support centers across the country.
