A supermarket in Oxford was given a zero rating by hygiene inspectors, after they found blood on the floors, raw meat and carcasses in the store The Oxford City Council’s Environmental Health team visited Medina Foods Market, located on London Road, Headington, on March 6th, and found it to be in need of “urgent improvement”.

Reports written following the inspection reported that the store, which specialises in Halal meats, stored their meat incorrectly, to the point where it could become a health hazard.

“At the time of my inspection, boxes of herbs and vegetables were evident in the walk-in fridge together with carcasses and open boxes of raw meat”, said the report, obtained by the Oxford Mail.

“Bacteria associated with raw meat, such as E. coli and Campylobacter, are capable of surviving being frozen, and enduring light washing, and only small numbers can cause infection”.

“To reduce the risk of cross-contamination, your walk-in chiller and freezer must be re-organised to completely segregate raw meat and fish from high-risk ready-to-eat foods”.

“In the walk-in chiller particular attention must be paid to segregating items, such as fresh herbs, that will not be cooked, or lightly cooked, before consumption.”

Another major point highlighted by the inspectors was the fact that food was being kept on the floor, which was contaminated with blood.

“Large amounts of food were stored on the floor. This included food outside on display, food stacked in the walkways and public areas of the shop and in the rear storage area”.

“To avoid contamination and allow effective cleaning and monitoring for pests, food must never be stored on the floor. Suitable racking or similar must be provided and/or the amount of stock held must be reduced.

“The floors throughout the raw meat servery area and rear storage areas were dirty and contaminated with blood,” added the report.

“So as not to attract pests and maintain an adequate standard of hygiene, the floors must be thoroughly cleaned and a suitable cleaning schedule devised to prevent the problem from recurring.

“During my inspection, I did not see anyone clean or sanitise anything in the raw meat servery area.

“Food and hand contact surfaces throughout the servery area and on the plastic door strips to the doorway were contaminated with blood.”

Medina Foods Market is one of three businesses in Oxford that hold a zero-rating for hygiene, along with Seoul Plaza on Cornmarket Street and Red Star Chinese Restaurant on Cowley Road.