Woolworths pest problems: Supermarket apologises after rat, mouse, pigeon issues

Pest issues at Woolworths supermarkets were first revealed last month when a photograph of a rat sitting in the delicatessen at Dunedin South Countdown from November 2023 was published by media. Photo / Jesse Wood

Woolworths has apologised for the pest problems revealed at some of its supermarkets after recent Herald reports highlighted rats, mice, and pigeons plaguing their stores.

Four Woolworths supermarkets have been in the news for rodent and bird problems.

The company said today: “We ... apologise to our customers for the distress or inconvenience these reports may have caused.

“We take food safety and pest control seriously.

“Pests are a common challenge in food environments, especially in the warm summer months. While it is normal for them to attempt to enter food premises, it’s our responsibility to do everything possible to keep them out and remove them if they do.”

The issue was first revealed last month when a photograph of a rat sitting in the delicatessen at Dunedin South Countdown from November 2023 was published.

A store employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said “one or two” rats were first detected inside the store in October.

Woolworths New Zealand confirmed this photo of a rat, reflected in a mirror in the deli section, was taken at its Dunedin South Countdown supermarket, at 323 Andersons Bay Rd, in November.

Since then, they had multiplied, leading to the store becoming “infested”, the employee said.

After the photograph was published, four rats were caught at the Dunedin store in three days. The store closed.

Then pest controllers caught 13 rats at the supermarket the following weekend. The Ministry for Primary Industries recommended the store remain closed.

A shopper at a Christchurch Woolworths then came forward with a video of a mouse in a salad at the delicatessen.

The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is investigating after a video shows a mouse on top of a salad at Christchurch’s Eastgate Countdown.

Then Woolworths acknowledged a pigeon problem at their Grey Lynn supermarket in Auckland after a woman shared photographs of birds pecking at produce and roosting on shelves.

The most recent example was highlighted by the Herald today.

A customer caught a photograph of a pigeon eating from inside a nut and seed dispenser at Milford Woolworths.

Today, Woolworths New Zealand director of stores Jason Stockill said “recent events have highlighted that there are improvements we can make”.

He said: “Supported by industry leaders in pest management, Rentokil, as well as NZ Food Safety, we have pest management plans in place in every one of our 194 stores across the country.

“However, recent events have highlighted that there are improvements we can make to ensure our processes and procedures are followed. What we have seen play out in the last couple of weeks is not acceptable to us or to our customers.”

A pigeon spotted roosting on a shelf at Grey Lynn Woolworths, formally Countdown, in Auckland in November 2023, coming amid reports of mouse and rat infestations at the supermarket's other stores.

He listed some actions Woolworths was taking to make sure their pest management was performing as it should be.

“We have issued a food safety alert to all of our teams to remind them of our practices and procedures when dealing with pests. Our operations senior leadership team is visiting all stores to follow up in person,” he said.

“We are reviewing how we work with our pest control contractor, Rentokil, to ensure that any pest management challenges are being appropriately escalated and addressed, and that the right information is accessible.

“We are reviewing our internal escalation processes to ensure that our team are confident in raising and escalating concerns about pest management.”

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.