Aldi was fined £64,000 and slapped with a legal bill of £241,177 after pleading guilty to a food hygiene offence in Snaresbrook Crown Court on 29th November

Supermarket giant Aldi has been hit with a £64,000 fine after council inspectors uncovered a mice infestation at its Leyton outlet.

Aldi was fined £64,000 and slapped with a legal bill of £241,177 after pleading guilty in Snaresbrook Crown Court to a charge relating to its failure to put adequate measures in place to control pests. Waltham Forest Council says it comes as the first time Aldi has been prosecuted for food hygiene offences in the UK.

Environmental health officers visited the supermarket in Heybridge Way, Leyton, on 20th April 2020, after a customer complained about the presence of mouse droppings and fur in a partially unwrapped Easter egg.

Officers found numerous mouse droppings throughout the premises, including in food packaging and within open milk and bread display areas. The store was temporarily closed while Aldi worked to resolve the highlighted issues.

Mice droppings next to on sale Easter eggs, Credit: Waltham Forest Council

Khevyn Limbajee, cabinet member for community safety, said: “We take food safety extremely seriously, no matter how big or small the business involved. As a major brand, the fact that Aldi has recently expanded its operations in the borough makes this lack of oversight all the more appalling.

“We are a leading London borough when it comes to prosecuting food vendors for pest problems, poor hygiene, and food safety management. While I am pleased to see Aldi accept its failings, I am nonetheless alarmed by the serious risk this posed to residents here in Waltham Forest.”

An Aldi spokesperson said: “We have a strong track record of upholding the highest standards in all our stores. We regret that, in these unique circumstances during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, one of our stores didn’t meet our required standards for a very short period of time, despite being supported by expert contractors. This isolated issue occurred more than four years ago and was rectified quickly. The store has been operating to our normal high standards ever since.”

The news comes after a BBC investigation in the summer found Sainsbury’s Local in Leyton was one of 27 Waltham Forest businesses that misrepresented its food hygiene rating.

Businesses which had recently failed food hygiene inspections such as the Sainsbury’s Local in Leyton had plastered outdated five-out-of-five Food Standards Agency (FSA) ratings on their front door.

According to an FSA report, issues at the Sainsbury’s store included mice droppings, as well as excessive dirt and debris beneath shelving.

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, 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.

Residents are encouraged to check the food hygiene ratings of any restaurant, takeaway, or food business by using the Food Standard Agency’s online toolkit here

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