Woolworths aisle find stuns shopper as 'roasting' temperatures continue
Shopper Stefan Deutsch said some of the chocolate in the aisle of his supermarket had completely turned to liquid.
Many Aussies have been seeking shade and blasting the aircon as temperatures skyrocket to 40 degrees and above in some parts of the country. But the heat is not only impacting us — it's also affecting food at the supermarket.
Eager for a sweet treat Stefan Deutsch ducked into his local Woolworths Metro at Bondi Beach to buy some chocolate on Friday and instead found the bars flopping over the shelf, melting from the extreme heat. Despite Bondi beachgoers enjoying a cool reprieve with temperatures lower than originally forecast, it seems the chocolate was no match for the "roasting" temperature outside.
After sharing footage online some questioned whether there was an issue with the store’s aircon and Stefan thinks this may be why the chocolate went "full liquid mode".
"It felt pretty warm in the store but much cooler at the checkout. So I’m not sure about the AC," he told Yahoo News Australia
Woolworths forced to remove melting chocolate from store
Woolworths confirmed to Yahoo News the store was experiencing issues with its air conditioning, meaning stock had little reprieve from the heat — with temperatures reaching over 38 degrees in Sydney.
"We apologise that the air conditioning currently isn't working and we thank customers for their understanding," a Woolies spokesperson said. "Our team members have been removing any melted chocolate from sale."
It is understood the aircon at the Bondi store is still not working.
More Aussies die from heatwaves than from any other natural disaster
Heatwaves are Australia's deadliest environmental disaster with many struggling to keep cool. Temperatures have already soared in many parts of the country this summer, with NSW, South Australia and Queensland sweating through heatwaves in the past week.
The mercury in large swathes of NSW exceeded 43 degrees while inland South Australia and southwest Queensland recorded temperatures reaching the mid 40s. Birdsville, on the edge of the Simpson Desert, faced near-record high temperatures of 49.4 degrees.
Temperatures are also expected to surpass 40 degrees in large parts of Western Australia this week with residents bracing for the heatwave.
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2024 set to break more temperature records: 'Loss of great Aussie summer'
A new heat safety campaign by Sweltering Cities is calling on people to check in with friends, family and other people at risk in the heat this summer, with fears Aussies will have to choose between air conditioning and essentials like food and petrol during the cost-of-living crisis.
"The combination of hotter summers driven by climate change and a cost of living crunch, means that more people than ever are worried about whether they can afford to keep cool," Sweltering Cities executive director Emma Bacon said.
with AAP
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