Coles shopper leaves store after 'nasty' find on shelf
The supermarket called it an 'isolated' incident, but some believe it 'shouldn’t have even got to that point'.
A Coles shopper claims he walked straight out of his local store after spotting something "nasty" which would usually be covered by produce on the supermarket shelf.
While browsing the meat section at the Pacific Fair store on the Gold Coast the customer found a patch of mould growing on the shelf next to the beef sausages, where it appeared there had been a stain from a leaking meat pack.
"Imagine seeing this while smelling their seafood section… I just walked straight out," the shopper wrote online, shocked that staff hadn't noticed the issue and cleaned it away.
"It’s just nasty, and shouldn’t have even got to the point of rotting and growing mould."
Aussies respond to 'disgusting' discovery
After an image was shared online many shoppers were "disgusted" by the find. One person, claiming to be a former Coles worker, wrote in the comments that shoppers would bode well by not looking at the fridge shelves under the produce in supermarkets.
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Another said it is to be expected and even "common" to have mould occur from time to time on the shelves since they hold fresh products. The Gold Coast has also been battered with flooding over recent months with moisture making buildings more susceptible to mould. Yet others with less tolerance simply called the find "rank" and "horrifying".
Coles says mould is an 'isolated incident'
Coles told Yahoo News the team at the Pacific Fair store pride themselves on a clean store and called the mould find an "isolated" incident.
"Coles takes food safety extremely seriously and our teams work hard and pride themselves on keeping a clean and hygienic environment in all our stores," a spokesperson said. "Our shelves are thoroughly cleaned regularly, and in relation to the photo you have provided, this is an isolated situation."
The shopper confirmed he notified staff of the issue and Yahoo News understands the shelf has since been cleaned.
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