SUB-STANDARD: 2 OUT OF 5 FOOD HYGIENE RATING FOR NEWPORT’S SUBWAY

Dirty knives, mould, untrained staff and food stored above recommended temperature are some of the hygiene issues uncovered at an Isle of Wight Subway store.

Following an inspection by Isle of Wight Council’s Environmental Health officers, the Newport branch of the sandwich store has been handed a 2 out of 5 food hygiene rating, meaning ‘Improvement Necessary’.

The store on Town Lane was found to have an unsatisfactory level of hygiene, with inspectors requesting it be thoroughly cleaned.

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In their report, officers noted a range of issues including:

• The coffee machine was dirty and “had obviously not been cleaned for a considerable amount of time”
• The tomato slicer had various types of food debris on it
• The bread spray bottle was dirty and covered in mould
• Multiple chopping boards were badly scored and “unable to be maintained in a clean condition”
• Hand contact surfaces through the premises were dirty
• Food debris was found behind and under equipment
• The sealant behind the wash-up sink was mouldy
• The temperature probe was not being sanitised before or after each measurement and could lead to cross-contamination.

Inspectors were told that the bread cutting knives should be changed every 20 minutes but during the inspection, they had not been and were dirty with old food debris.

Another problem inspectors highlighted was a lack of hygienic hand drying materials at the wash handbasin and advised alcohol-based sanitiser could not replace hand washing.

The wash hand basin in the food preparation area had a bag of frozen chicken defrosting in it.

Officers had noted at previous inspections issues with food being stored at unsuitable temperatures and found it again at their latest visit. Turkey, a high-risk food that should not be stored above 8C, was stored at 9.6C and the salsa sauce was also probed out of temperature.

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All food that had been identified out of temperature was disposed of voluntarily during the visit.

During the inspection, there was no manager or supervisor present and officers said it was clear the staff had not been provided with instruction in food hygiene policies and practices in relation to hazard analysis. Inspectors also found there was not a suitable hazard analysis in place but were told after the visit it was being rectified.

A spokesperson for Subway has said:

“The health and safety of all guests is of paramount importance to Subway and all stores are regularly audited to ensure compliance.

“Subway Franchise Owners are expected to maintain high food safety standards in their stores, and the franchisee of this particular store has taken immediate action to resolve this issue and another inspection has been scheduled and paid for.

“Once available we look forward to sharing the result of the reinspection.”