Flies, out-of-date food and half-eaten pizza found at Fareham takeaway in food hygiene inspection
“You should not be using food past its use-by dates,” inspectors told the owner.
Undated food, dirty floors and “lots of flies” were all found in a Fareham takeaway that has been slated by food hygiene inspectors.
According to the Food Standards Agency, food handling and cleanliness must now be top priorities for the Pizza Hut in West Street, after a food hygiene rating of two was dished out.
Inspectors from Fareham Borough Council visited the store on July 21, finding dirty surfaces, as well as food that was past its use-by date.
One customer even complained that they had received a half-eaten pizza - while the inspection was taking place.
A spokesperson for Pizza Hut says this is an “isolated incident” and that changes are being made.
The inspection read: “The standard of cleaning wasn't at an acceptable standard; more attention was required to cleaning. Hand contact surfaces such as fridge floor handles were dirty, especially the walk-in fridge and prover.
“The shelves were dirty and needed cleaning, and there is a small back storeroom that needs clearing to allow for effective cleaning and pest control checks.
“There were a lot of flies in the premises, landing on surfaces and equipment. The backdoor was going wide open, and the excessive waste wasn’t helping the problem. There were no lids on any internal bins either.
“During the inspection we noted there was food past its use by date - three bags of pre-sliced onions and peppers. You should not be using food past its use-by dates.
“There were portioned mac and cheese in the walk-in fridge, one on its own and three more in a separate location. There were no day dots on the meals to indicate when they needed to be used by, and the one on its own was dried up and in poor condition.”
Inspectors also received a complaint that one customer had received a half-eaten pizza, suggesting that food intended for staff had been mixed up with the customer’s order.
A Pizza Hut spokesperson said: “Health and safety is of the utmost importance to Pizza Hut and we are committed to maintaining high standards in all our branches. This was an isolated incident, and we are working closely with the franchise operator in actioning all points raised."