Lowedges Fish Bar: Sheffield chippy handed food hygiene score of 1 after 'rotting potatoes' found in yard

A report received by The Star has revealed the reasons why one Sheffield fish and chips takeaway received one of the lowest hygiene scores possible.

Lowedges Fish Bar, at 256 Lowedges Road, was handed a food hygiene score of 1 after a routine inspection by a Sheffield City Council environmental health officer on December 19 last year. The scoring system, designed by the Food Standards Agency, aims to inform customers to help them choose where they purchase food.

The inspection, which aims to provide food operators with advice on food hygiene standards and legal requirements, found 'major' improvement was necessary to improve confidence in management.

At the time of inspection, it was found that there was an absence of a written food safety management system and any monitoring records, such as daily temperature checks of the refrigerator temperature and freezer. These documents must be used to identify where risks to food safety could occur, and how these risks will be controlled.

Staff were also not aware of what the correct temperature for a fridge containing high-risk food should be, or what the correct cooking/reheating temperature is for high-risk food, which indicated "a training need". This is important to slow down the growth of harmful bacteria, and then to ensure they are destroyed by the heating process. 

The management was also told it must ensure all food handlers receive supervision, instruction and training in food hygiene, and that “evidence of food hygiene training… or accredited certificates should be available for each food handler”.

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The establishment was also ordered to thoroughly clean a number of areas, including the rear yard. The inspector wrote: "Excess bags of waste, waste cardboard and rotting potatoes were present to the rear yard. This is not acceptable and will attract pests to the premises. The refuse must be removed, and the yard must be cleaned and disinfected immediately."

Areas and items that needed thorough cleaning included "ingrained dirt" on the floor below the frying range, "minor mould growth" and food splattering on the kitchen ceiling, and cobwebs and mould growth to the ceiling of the toilet.

Four gaps and holes in the premises were also noted in the report which were "sufficient to allow the ingress of rodents". The inspector said these must be sealed. 

The report read that a revisit will be made to check progress with work and whether any enforcement action is needed.