Six Auckland food outlets have been hit with D and E-grade food safety ratings in Auckland Council's round of inspections.
For the five eateries graded E, it's the first time any of them have sunk so low.
Pest infestations - cockroaches and/or rodents - were found in four of them, and poor cleaning and hygiene, cross-contamination issues and bad labelling were also found.
The outlets are:
- Pepper Kitchen on Elliott Street, CBD - E-grade
- Surasang in Wairau Valley - D-grade
- Catering Masters in Mangere - E-grade
- BBQ Noodle House in Albany - E-grade
- Lucky Grill Seafood Restaurant in Highland Park - E-grade
- Davin Bakery & Café in Te Atatu - E-grade
Pest infestations were found in Pepper Kitchen, Catering Masters, BBQ Noodles House and Davin Bakery & Café. Lucky Grill Seafood Restaurant had cross-contamination and poor storage, and Surasang had non-compliant labelling and allergens that weren't declared.
Newshub has been unable to get hold of any of the eateries, with calls either going unanswered or phone numbers being disconnected. We managed to reach Pepper Kitchen's accountant, who said the Korean eatery shut down in June.
The owner of BBQ Noodle House told Stuff the pests were cleared out, but they were stuck with the E-grade rating "for a few months".
The council told Newshub inspectors will be visiting BBQ Noodle House and Davin Bakery and Café "shortly" to reassess their grades.
"In general pest infestations are of greatest concern and likely to lead to a poor grade, when they are found in food preparation or food storage areas," said Mervyn Chetty, Auckland Council manager environmental health.
Lucky Grill expects to get a new rating in a few weeks, after closing for two days to fix the issues inspectors found.
Ranita Hansen, owner of Catering Masters, said they never had any pest infestation - she merely forgot to get a certificate from the pest control company she hires to do regular checks.
"I do pest control every three months… My major mistake was I didn't get a certificate done," she told Newshub.
"Nothing was ever found at my shop."
Catering Masters has until November 15 to sort it out, when its grade will be reassessed.
This isn't the first time Surasang has appeared on the council's naughty list - at the end of 2017 it was give a D-grade for poor food-handling practices, unsatisfactory cleaning and insufficient pest control. Auckland Council said it hasn't been prosecuted because the first D-grade was issued under old legislation. The most recent D-grade was made under the Food Act 2014.
Not all restaurants around the city get graded at the same time. Previous releases from Auckland Council have included dozens of restaurants failing to meet food safety standards.
"Food outlets should follow their food control plan, which provides information and procedures to ensure regular checks for pests or conditions that may give rise to pests, and take the appropriate action where they find any signs or indications of pests or conditions favourable to pests," said Mr Chetty.
"Food outlets should also implement and follow the cleaning schedule they developed in their food control plan."
Newshub.
