Cockroaches inside a hidey-hole at one of Auckland's E grade eateries. Photo / Supplied
Cockroaches inside a hidey-hole at one of Auckland's E grade eateries. Photo / Supplied
Dishes left in filthy sinks, mouse poo by sacks of rice and cockroaches crawling on grimy kitchen equipment all earned Auckland eateries E grade food ratings over the past year.
Photos released to the Herald under the Official Information Act show some of the worst conditions discovered by council workers during inspections around the Super City.
Inspectors do not always take photos, but photos that had been taken at E grade premises were provided.
At the time of publishing nine establishments had E grades.
Photos of grease and grime build-up on walls, at the bottom of bench legs and on the sides of equipment were common, and many showed mouse droppings on the floor and around old food.
Ingredients kept on a grimy set of shelves. Photo / Supplied
One photo showed a dry food area in total disarray, with what appeared to be flour strewn across the floor with rubbish piled on top.
In another, a grimy set of shelves caked in remnants of old food was being used to store ingredients.
Cockroaches had made a home inside a grease-stained metal hidey-hole - part of a piece of kitchen equipment in one eatery.
Grease and grime on one eatery's wall. Photo / Supplied
The names of the E grade establishments in each photo were withheld for privacy reasons, but an up-to-date list of food grade ratings can be found on the council's website.
Auckland Council environmental health manager Mervyn Chetty estimated between 20 and 30 E grades were handed out each year.
Auckland has about 8900 eateries the council issues A, B, D or E grade. There is no C because eateries should either be above or below the standard.
A stock room in disarray. Photo / Supplied
Establishments are graded on overall hygiene standards, conduct and maintenance, process control, cleaning and sanitising and staff training.
The council did not ask businesses to close their doors for good, but if an operator did not comply to lift their grade, the council can prosecute them under the 2014 Food Act.
Some businesses did close after receiving a low grade, but Chetty said it was difficult to tell whether the two events were related.
A dirty sink with what appear to be food scraps and grime encrusted onto the taps. Photo / Supplied
"In time some may close but they may have closed anyway."
D and E grades had to be displayed for two months after inspection even if the problem had been fixed.
In most cases, a business with an E grade would pay for a reinspection after the two months were up.
A minority of businesses would continue to trade with an E rating until the next annual free inspection, Chetty said.
