An undercover BBC team found widespread misrepresentation when it deployed hidden cameras to check hygiene ratings in the borough, reports Marco Marcelline

Sainsbury’s Local at 297 High Road Leyton displayed an incorrect hygiene rating, Credit: Google Streetview

A Sainsbury’s Local in Leyton was one of 27 Waltham Forest businesses that misrepresented its food hygiene rating, the BBC reports.

An undercover BBC team found widespread misrepresentation when it deployed several hidden cameras in Waltham Forest shops and businesses.

Businesses which had recently failed food hygiene inspections such as the Sainsbury’s Local in Leyton had plastered outdated five-out-of-five Food Standards Agency (FSA) ratings on their front door.

While a five-out-of-five means food hygiene standards are “very good”, hygiene inspectors visiting the Sainsbury’s found the true picture to be anything but.

According to an FSA report obtained by the BBC, issues at the Sainsbury’s store included mice droppings, “excessive dirt and debris beneath shelving, dirty evaporator grills in the walk-in fridge, dirty walls and ceiling in the bakery, dirty lights in the walk-in chiller, and debris in corners of the kitchen and warehouse”.

Allergen labelling was also found to be missing from some products on display.

Responding to the investigation’s findings, Sainsbury’s said: “Food safety is our highest priority and the vast majority of our stores have a five-star food standards rating, which we proudly display to our customers. We’ve removed an outdated rating sticker at our Leyton High Road Local store and reviewed our procedures to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Admitting that the misleading rating had also been displayed on Sainsbury’s website, the supermarket chain said it was “continuing to make improvements at the store”. According to the BBC, the store’s rating has since improved from zero to three, meaning hygiene is “generally satisfactory”.

Other Leyton businesses found to have misled the public about their hygiene standards were Nadeem Halal Meat & Grocery, Cafe Mondial, Midland Supermarket, and Pizza & BBQ Express.

In the case of Midland Supermarket, FSA inspectors had found the store to be selling food “well past” its expiry date, while Cafe Mondial had pretended to have a four-out-of-five rating when the cafe had actually received one-out of-five.

In England, it is not a statutory requirement for stores to display a FSA rating, as is the case in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Waltham Forest has the highest percentage of establishments in England and Wales rated zero or one stars (11.2%).

In July, Waltham Forest was found to have the worst average food hygiene rating than any other local authority in the UK.

London’s average food hygiene rating was 4.36, significantly higher than Waltham Forest’s rating of 3.74.

Joining Waltham Forest in the bottom three for average food hygiene ratings in the capital were Barking and Dagenham (3.95) , and Ealing (3.92).

In August, two Chingford restaurants received a zero-out-of-five rating.

Caribbean eatery Brown Eagle, at 107 Old Church Road and Turkish spot Melek’s Kitchen, at 240 Chingford Mount Road were both handed the minimum rating after assessments on 20th August.

Brown Eagle’s owner Sonia told the Echo that the minimum rating was partly due to “minor buildings works” that were occurring during the first inspection. She added that Brown Eagle had been re-inspected last week by Waltham Forest Council who handed them a “three-out-of-five” rating meaning “generally satisfactory”.

And in July, a street food vendor with a residency at a popular Leyton pub was fined £2,464 after food hygiene inspectors uncovered a “severe” rat, cockroach, and mouse infestation in their kitchen.

Kamu Streetfood, a Sri Lankan vendor which operates at Leyton’s Coach & Horses pub, was also made to pay over £2,256 in costs following a hearing at Thames Magistrates Court.

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