A Helston supermarket has spoken out following a poor hygiene rating after an inspection last year, saying it had taken "immediate action." 

Sainsbury’s on Clodgey Lane, Helston was given a two out of five rating from the Food Standards Agency following the inspection in July 2023, the most recent data available. It is awaiting a new inspection. 

The inspection found the supermarket needed to make ‘necessary improvements’ when it came to its cleanliness and conditions of facilities and buildings.

These included having an appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control devices, to enable good food hygiene.

On a more positive note, officers ranked Sainsbury’s management of food safety as 'good'. This includes systems or checks in place to ensure food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in the future.

In addition, the supermarket's handling of food hygienically, including food preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling, and storage was 'generally satisfactory'.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s told the Packet: “We take food hygiene very seriously and took immediate action to rectify the findings at our Helston store.

“We expect this to be reflected in the next inspection.”

On the Food Standards Agency website, a post explains that its primary statutory objective is to protect public health and consumers ‘other interests in food. Excessive or unclear regulation places an unnecessary burden on business and hinders effective delivery of the intended benefits.

You can find the ratings at https://ratings.food.gov.uk/