
(Image: Google Maps)
A poultry business has been handed a one-star food hygiene rating after the owners was found blow-torching meat in the street.
Food hygiene inspectors visited the site in March.
Inspectors found problems ranging from poor hygiene to unsafe practices.
"Poultry" refers primarily to raw chicken and other bird meat products being butchered, prepared, stored and sold.
What did inspectors say about B1 Poultry?
At the time of the inspection the wash hand basin was obstructed and was seen to be in an unclean condition.
Cleaning materials for the washbasin were in poor condition and kept on the floor in a dirty bucket of dirty water.
No suitable disinfectant or sanitiser was visible on site.
The owner was also "unaware of the critical limit for safe chilled storage of raw meat and poultry."
The report said chicken was stored uncovered in the walk-in chiller.
"Cease the practice of storing bleach in the food production room to prevent risks of chemical contamination," the report stated.
Poultry blowtorched in the street
The inspector ordered the owner to stop using an LPG canister to blowtorch poultry in the street.
They said: "You must cease this activity immediately. Food preparation must be conducted in hygienic conditions to protect food from sources of contamination."
B1 Poultry was told to provide and use a designated indoor area if it wanted to continue.
Inspectors also found a box of blowtorched chicken stored uncovered in the walk-in chiller.
The report said: "It was stated that this chicken was deemed poor quality and was to be returned to the supplier, however there was no clear indication that this was the case and it was presumed these items were to be placed on the market."
Furthermore, a bucket of prepared chicken was seen being stored on the floor.
Food-contact equipment, including mincer-extruder plates, was stored in unhygienic conditions.
Plus, a butcher was spotted working and preparing meat on a dirty chest freezer with an inadequate plastic liner.
Dirty all over
Overall, the premises was found in to be in very poor state of cleanliness throughout the preparation area and storage. The owner was ordered to deep clean it.
A pest screen was also required for the front doorway.
The waste provision was deemed "inadequate".
The report continued: "The wash bin was full and the container lid did not close. Waste food packaging was seen on the floor in the waste storage area. Flies were seen around food packaging."
A brighter bulb should also be fitted in the walk-in chiller "to aid in monitoring and cleaning activities".
Inspectors advised against using cardboard to line the floor on hygiene and safety grounds.
Little improvement since 2023
Inspectors found little improvement since their last visit.
The inspector said: "It is evident from the items listed above that there has been little to no improvement in standards of food hygiene management since your previous inspection.
"Many of the items listed in this report of inspection letter were identified in the previous report also. It was identified that you do not have any formal documented procedures in place to manage prerequisites as required when operating a raw meat butchery business.
"You must put in place a program outlining how you manage prerequisites in your business."
The T&A called B1 Poultry but has received no reply.


