A state Department of Agriculture and Markets inspection of the Wal-Mart store on Anawana Lake Road in the Town of Thompson has resulted in the store being cited for “critical deficiencies” including the discovery of mouse droppings.

This is the fourth time in less than a year that the store has been inspected and each time, it failed, with among other concerns fresh mouse droppings.

Ag and Markets inspectors had a meeting scheduled for this past Tuesday to discuss the previous three inspections and while there, the rodent droppings were observed, resulting in the fourth inspection and failure.

That, said Ag and Markets spokesman Jessica Ziehm automatically kicks in a hearing process. The hearing officer has the authority to revoke the food processing permit in the store, which would include the areas dealing with produce, deli, and bakery. Ziehm believes at this particular store, meats are all prepackaged and would not be affected.

Among the specific critical deficiencies cited in the most recent inspection were romaine lettuce not being washed before being used as a garnish on ready to eat food; fresh appearance of mouse droppings on shelves near checkouts including a gnawed health bar; gnawed blueberries; mouse droppings near Kosher items; fresh mouse droppings between soup and canned pasta; and fresh mouse droppings present in packages in certain aisles.

Ziehm said those critical deficiencies are highly uncommon during inspections of most store.

General deficiencies found in the store included boxes of frozen foods stored on the floor of a walk-in freezer hampering proper inspection and cleaning; the floor around a drain in the meat room had standing liquid; fan guards over beer in the dairy walk-in cooler had an accumulation of dusty residue; a honey comb vent of retail cheese and process meat display exhibited discoloration. Other concerns included dead flies in a fly catcher located between a fryer and slicer table and a hot holding unit was not properly maintained with the sliding door missing from the unit.

(Source: MidHudsonNews)