Inspectors found a packet of sausages in a fridge that were past their use-by date(Image: Getty Images)
A major supermarket has received a one-star hygiene rating after it was found to be selling out-of-date food.
Inspectors found overflowing freezers and some food being stored at unsafe temperatures at the Iceland store in Kent.
Inspectors handed the store at Swanley Square Shopping Centre in Kent a one-star hygiene rating following an inspection on March 3 this year.
According to the Food Standards Agency, which awards the star ratings, one star means “major improvement is necessary”.
Inspectors from Sevenoaks District Council’s Environmental Health department found a packet of sausages in a fridge that were one day past their use-by date, which they said were removed from sale.
Inspectors found a packet of sausages being sold past their use-by date(Image: SDC/Cover Images)
Inspectors also said many food items in freezers were being stored above the max load line.
“A couple of items were probed and found to be -11.9C and -10.3C, these items were disposed of,” Kent Online, which has seen the inspector’s review of the store, reported.
The legal requirement for storing frozen food is generally -18C, according to the Food Standards Agency.
As well as this, the standard of cleaning in the walk-in freezer and fridge section needed to be improved, inspectors said.
Following the inspection the store was told it must “retrain staff” and ensure all stock is stored correctly.
Freezers were found to be overflowing and some food was at an unsafe temperature, inspectors said(Image: SDC/Cover Images)
An Iceland Foods spokesperson said: “Iceland takes safety, hygiene and standards with the utmost seriousness, and is committed to maintaining a safe and clean environment.
“We are currently working with the local authority to understand the context of their last inspection of our Swanley store, and have requested a re-inspection in the belief that we have addressed any issues that may have affected the store’s rating.
“As a business, across our store portfolio we aim for the highest standards and we achieve excellent overall compliance with the relevant Food Safety Regulations, with 97.6% of our stores holding five or four-star food hygiene ratings.”