Two eateries in West Auckland’s WestCity mall have been issued E grade food hygiene ratings. Matsu Sushi and WokWok were issued the ratings on April 24 and were forced to close, Matsu for 24 hours and WokWok for 48.
The E grades were due to "cockroach and rodent infestation, cleanliness issues, food safety and storage issues," said Mervyn Chetty, environmental health manager at Auckland Council. The eateries were not permitted to reopen until all critical food safety risks had been addressed, and now must display the E grade rating in a way that is in clear view of customers until they have been re-graded.
The manager of WokWok argued that it was the responsibility of the mall to deal with pest infestations, a claim which WestCity centre experience manager Darren Wolley denied. While the mall does employ their own contractors do deal with such issues, it was up to each tenant to ensure that they met legislative compliance of their own premises.
The other food retailers in the WestCity food court all hold A grade ratings.
