Black mould found on deli baskets at the Woolworths in Andersons Bay Rd. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED After recovering from a rat infestation, the Woolworths South Dunedin supermarket in Andersons Bay Rd is again under the microscope for "bloody disgusting" black mould on shelves, and the Ministry for Primary Industries is investigating. It has left Woolworths Group New Zealand apologising to customers for the incident, saying it did not meet the company’s "high standards". The apology came after customer and Dunedin resident Kirk Perriman contacted the Otago Daily Times to complain about black and white mould growing on wicker baskets in the meat section of the store’s deli. "My first thoughts were that it was bloody disgusting; and my second thoughts were, why have the health department allowed the use of this type of material [basket], which is clearly not food safe? "I told the deli lady about it and she removed the one that I showed her. "She didn’t look at any of the others. "I grabbed another one and gave it to her and said they [the staff] needed to re-think about using them and that it was bloody disgusting, and it was as bad as the rats." He had sent videos of the mouldy baskets to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). MPI New Zealand Food Safety acting deputy director-general Mike Inglis confirmed a report of mould on food display baskets at a Dunedin supermarket had been received. "We are looking into the matter." Yesterday afternoon, following questions from the Otago Daily Times, staff at Woolworths stores across the country were asked by Woolworths New Zealand management to remove all wicker baskets affected by mould. Black mould is dangerous because it can release toxic chemical byproducts called mycotoxins and trigger severe allergic reactions. When inhaled, touched, or ingested, these microscopic spores and toxins can lead to a variety of short and long-term health issues. While white mould is not inherently toxic, it is a health hazard because it can trigger severe respiratory issues and allergic reactions, particularly in children, the elderly and asthmatics. Many other people also complained on social media about mould on fruit and vegetables at the store — particularly the grapes — and the lack of hygiene. One commenter said a couple of weeks ago she went to the store and was about to pick up some grapes when she noticed they were "full of mould — literally the whole container of grapes". "I took them too [sic] the service desk, nobody bothered to talk to me ... they need staff to regularly check produce. "They didn’t batter an eyelid, they didn’t care." Another said, "you’d think after the rat problem they would be a bit more on to it, aye". Workers First union regional organiser Angus Wilson said it was "not a good look". "My initial thoughts here are that this is probably the result of routine cleaning not being done due to a lack of staff, but I don’t have any hard evidence at this stage. "Certainly, I can say that members have been pretty consistent that they feel that staffing isn’t always adequate and an outcome of inadequate staffing can be that sometimes tasks and jobs aren’t completed or not completed to standard. "I know that Woolworths have just done a restructure of their management team, so they could also be too busy with their other jobs to ... take time to do it." Mr Wilson said it was "definitely" something the company should investigate. "Customers don’t want to be eating mouldy food. "That’s something the company should look into — it should be improving their standards." A Woolworths Group New Zealand spokeswoman apologised for the incident and said it did not meet their "high standards". "The baskets in our stores are used in the chilled self-serve cabinets and used to display packaged or pre-cooked products. "The baskets in the images do not meet our high standards and we have since asked all stores to remove any baskets that have similar issues." The mouldy Australian table grapes were the result of "a severe weather event" in late March, which put the fruit under heavy stress, she said. "The impacts of this are not always visible during packing, and despite our quality controls, some affected fruit may have reached stores, resulting in a shorter shelf life than usual. "Our team are carrying out spot checks and removing any fruit as required. "We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused customers," she said. john.lewis@odt.co.nz
