Signs in the aisle of an Auckland Woolworths have been splattered with bird droppings, sending the store into clean-up mode.
A customer shopping at the supermarket in Three Kings noticed the signs, which she said were hanging directly over perishable items.
“I have been shopping there for two years and have only just noticed them. I actually had to stop doing my shop and leave the store.
“I know what diseases birds and their poo can carry.”
A spokesperson for Woolworths said while birds were “an unfortunately common issue” in food environments, it was disappointing to see droppings on the signs.
“The team at our Three Kings store has cleaned all the aisle signs and we ask any customer who sees something like this in a store to alert our team so they can immediately deal with it,” the spokesperson said.
Woolworths had used netting and plastic flaps over doors to keep pigeons out and some stores used “mist” netting to deter them.
The poo-splattered signs are the latest pest control issue affecting New Zealand supermarkets.
Last month Foodstuffs recalled a batch of pre-packaged garlic bread from stores, after a customer reported finding a rat’s foot inside.
The mum bought the bread from Pak’nSave Te Awamutu and was feeding her toddler when she discovered the foot poking out of his mouth.
In February a pigeon was alleged to have put its head in a nut dispenser at Woolworths in Milford.
In the same month a pigeon was seen sitting on a shelf at Countdown in Grey Lynn. The shopper who spotted the bird said she had seen pigeons breaking open breadcrumb bags and eating off the shelf.
Rats were also spotted sitting on shelves at a Dunedin Woolworths, with the store closing until the pest control issue was resolved.
Last month Auckland bakery Daily Bread came under fire after footage of poisoned sparrows struggling to walk or fly outside its Point Chevalier store went viral.
The bakery admitted it had recently contracted a pest control company to cull birds.
Deputy director-general of New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) Vincent Arbuckle said pigeons can contaminate food with foreign matter such as droppings and urine, eggs and dead bodies.
He said businesses that manufacture, prepare, handle or distribute food provided ideal conditions such as food, warmth and shelter for pests to live and multiply.
“If food businesses don’t control and prevent pests from their sites/shops, it can lead to a pest infestation and risks to food safety.”
NZFS had not received any complaints about Woolworths Three Kings.
Kirsty Wynn is an Auckland-based journalist with more than 20 years’ experience in New Zealand newsrooms. She has covered everything from crime and social issues to the property market and consumer affairs.
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