South Dunedin Countdown temporarily closes after more rats were trapped on the week of 5 February, 2024. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
Woolworths may face further action after a rat infestation closed its South Dunedin supermarket last year, New Zealand Food Safety says.
The Woolworths Dunedin South store was closed for almost three weeks in February last year to eliminate the pests after the issue was first discovered in late 2023.
More than 20 rats were captured and evidence of rats nesting within the supermarket was discovered during the closure, before the store was given the all clear to reopen to the public on 28 February.
New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said the investigation had mostly wrapped up, including identifying the causes and remedial actions.
"In a small number of cases, further enforcement action needs to be considered and, to do this, further information is sought and reviewed from the business involved. This can involve a significant number of documents and statements," he said.
"This is the case for the Woolworths Dunedin South store."
NZ Food Safety could not provide further details or a timeline for legal reasons, but was satisfied there were no ongoing issues with the Dunedin South store, Arbuckle said.
It investigated 800 to 900 food complaints a year with most resulting in changes being made before the investigation closed.
Woolworths New Zealand would not comment on the specific store, instead saying every store had a comprehensive pest management programme and worked with Rentokil.
"Pests are something that every food business has to manage and we take that responsibility seriously," a spokesperson said.
"If a customer sees what they believe to be a pest in our stores, we ask that they let our store team know immediately so they can investigate."
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