Episode 1 Food Inspectors

There are nearly 600,000 food outlets in the UK -

pubs, restaurants, takeaways

and they all have to be inspected

to make sure that the food we eat is safe.

Yes, there's an army of men and women up and down the country

on the frontline whose job it is to protect us,

the hungry public, from dangerous dinners. Who are these people?

They're the food inspectors.

Over the next few weeks,

we'll be out on the road with the food inspectors.

You need to get your act together.

We'll discover the restaurants where no-one seems to have a Danny La Rue.

You can't have a rabbit where you are preparing food.

You need to take the rabbit out now. Take the rabbit out now.

And we discover the visitors that no restaurant ever wants to meet.

We have so many live cockroaches, yeah, in the preparation area.

What are you playing at?!

I'll be revealing the truth about the hidden world of food crime

that puts YOU in danger.

I mean, what he is describing there is smuggling.

It's a timebomb waiting to go off.

And I'll be finding out how some of our biggest food manufacturers keep us safe.

This doesn't look like a kitchen, this looks like a science lab.

This week, animal rustling.

Inspectors try to track down the stolen meat

heading towards your plate.

This probably would indicate some kind of illegal slaughter.

Enough bones for 60 pigs.

Claire and Mary are on the hunt in North London

and they make a grisly discovery.

-Is that just leaves?

-I'm not sure.

It doesn't look very healthy whatever it is.

Andreas discovers a butchers

where it may be time for the ultimate sanction.

There's no option but to close you today.

Do you know how to stop the great British fry-up

turning into a great big emergency?

I put the fire brigade to the test.

-That's filth, that's off the scale.

-Yes!

And I meet a man whose pork chop was nearly his last.

I didn't think we would ever see Darren alive again.

They think I'm going to die.

Now food inspectors, on the whole, like order.

They want things in their place and they're quite particular

about what is supposed to be found in a kitchen.

Generally speaking, it's items connected with food preparation,

but every so often they'll make a discovery which would bring out

even the most experienced inspector in a cold sweat.

Welcome to the mean streets of... Enfield, North London.

It's a dirty world out there,

but there are two women who are fighting back.

Claire and Mary are Enfield's grime fighters.

See what I did there?!

Tonight there's a job going down -

the Sun & Moon, the local Chinese takeaway.

This is the first visit for the takeaway's new owners.

In the past, the food inspectors have found problems

and Mary is quick to spot some today.

Why is the rice sitting out on the side? Why is it outside?

-Why isn't it in the fridge?

-Just...

How long after you've cooked it before you put it in the fridge?

Two to three hours? Right, that's not safe.

If cooked rice is left outside of a fridge for too long, toxins can form.

They can cause stomach pains, diarrhoea and sickness.

I think you should just put it in the bin. Yeah, just bin it, please.

The problem we've got with the chicken balls is

the box previously had raw duck in...

So there's a severe risk of cross contamination

between the cooked chicken balls

and what was previously in the box.

So far, it's just another normal day on the streets for our team,

but things are about to get very strange.

Er, Claire, I've seen a rabbit.

-A rabbit?

-I don't believe this! I've just seen a rabbit!

-Is it alive?

I'm going...

In that... There's a rabbit.

CLAIRE LAUGHS

The rabbit is thankfully not destined for the pot.

It belongs to the owner's daughter.

You can't have a rabbit where you are preparing food.

It's not acceptable. You need to take the rabbit out now.

Take the rabbit out now. I've never seen that before.

Never, ever, in my 19 years of doing this.

Claire, ever the eagle-eyed inspector,

then spots sticky pads on the floor, designed to catch rats and mice.

Have you had a problem with mice in here? Do you know you have a problem with mice?

No, that's not what that's for. That's a rat glue trap.

That's for rats and mice. That's why you put that down there.

Not for spiders.

Claire has heard every excuse before

and she decides it's time for a closer look.

We've got droppings on this one.

Yeah, there's a few mouse droppings down the back of here.

Well, that means they came in last night.

If you cleaned last night, well, they've come in sometime today,

which is why you shouldn't keep your back door open,

cos obviously they can just walk in.

Oh!

No.

The back of the preparation area

is awash with droppings and mice urine.

Droppings throughout the area in here as well.

This is now a serious grime scene,

so senior inspector Claire needs to file a report.

I need some evidence of droppings in here...

-Open food.

-So basically just...

Do some photographs.

Photographs of everything. OK.

I'm very concerned at the moment

because what I've found here today is an infestation of...mice.

There's mouse droppings throughout here where you're preparing food.

You've got lots of open food out.

Obviously, mice, they're good climbers

and they will run over all the surfaces here.

They dribble urine...

I'm really concerned about what's happening here.

Claire might be concerned now, but we'll be back later

when things go from bad to worse with a shocking discovery.

-Is that just leaves?

-I'm not sure.

It doesn't look very healthy whatever it is.

Food inspectors generally investigate shops and restaurants

who prepare or cook food,

but they can also find themselves at the sharper end of the food chain.

Food business is big business and it can attract people who cut corners.

Every week, I'll be investigating a food crime that is not only

an illegal act, but which can put you and your family

and anyone who eats these foods at serious risk of illness.

We have some of the strictest laws in the world

controlling the movement of livestock and meat.

Every joint, chop,

even pack of mince that we buy is traceable back to its farm.

But what would happen

if someone came along and helped themselves to a sheep or ten

and then slaughtered them outside of the laws designed to keep us safe?

"It doesn't affect me," I hear you say.

Well, OK, what would happen if THIS stolen meat ended up on your plate?

The price of meat, like most foods, is on the up,

but that doesn't just mean a little bit less pork on your chop.

It's also resulting in a countryside crimewave that might sound like

something out of the 18th century, but which is bang up to date.

In 21st-century Britain, animal rustling is booming.

Pigs, sheep, even cows are being stolen, loaded into lorries

and driven away.

If this ends up in the food chain, any of us could be eating

illegal, unsafe, stolen meat without even knowing it,

but our food inspectors are on the trail.

Like all good crime thrillers, this one begins...

with the discovery of bones.

Good morning, Trading Standards.

This is Dorset's Trading Standards office

and Karen Wood is a senior officer.

It's her job to make sure businesses in the county

operate within the law.

What's the actual location of these?

Yep, I know the area, yes.

A member of the public has made a grisly discovery.

Some bones in bags have been found in a field down in Chadwick.

A phone call has led Karen to a field just off the main road.

I can actually see some black plastic up here. Just in this.

Stinging nettles.

What Karen's found is a secret hiding place

of leftovers from an illegal animal slaughter.

And I've just pulled out these bones

and counted enough bones for six pigs.

And that's just in one bag, there are ten bags here.

We're looking at about 60 pigs.

The value of this much pork from these carcasses

amounts to around £18,000,

making it a very profitable crime.

A few years ago, cases like this were unheard-of,

but as economic times have got tougher,

more and more crimes like this are being reported.

In Dorset alone, there have been eight in the last year.

We're not talking about just, you know, the odd animal stolen,

we're talking about a fairly industrial scale that's taking place.

Yes, it's a large number of animals to be found.

From what you are saying, it's too much here for personal use,

for somebody to be feeding their family.

Supermarkets and butchers - they're too legit, too wise,

and that really only leaves the restaurant trade.

Yeah, supermarkets are obviously very well regulated,

how they get rid of their waste and the abattoirs.

The butchers, obviously, are well regulated by environmental health,

how much waste is coming out.

So we're thinking unmarked van round the back of the restaurant.

That's where this deal was taking place?

We think that's a possibility, yes.

And this is a crime that's working its way across the country.

I've come to Cumbria where a few months ago

sheep farmer Andrew Balmer was one of its latest victims.

So, on that day then, how many did you discover, how many lambs,

how many ewes had gone missing?

We rounded everything up into our sheep pens,

down at the lower end.

We counted every lamb and every ewe and we were 18 ewes missing

-and 38 lambs.

-That's quite a lot of sheep to lose in one day.

Well, it's a very large trailer load.

And whoever's stealing this livestock

is not only putting Andrew's livelihood in danger,

they're also threatening our health.

The sheep that come out of here, what's wrong with them

making it to our plate if that's our primary concern?

Well, they've no idea as to when these lambs have been last dosed

and if they are going into the consumer, you know, it's wrong.

So when you're giving the lamb medication, medicine of some sort,

there's a period during which you wouldn't be able to sell that.

-No.

-If they're stolen from the fields then nobody knows

whether they've still got that chemical in their bloodstream.

That's definitely correct, yeah. Nobody would know that.

So, eating stolen lamb means you could be ingesting drugs

designed to kill ticks, liver fluke and other kinds of animal nasties.

These animal medicines hang around in the sheep's system for weeks.

They're not fit for human consumption.

The question is - who's behind this crimewave?

Is it townie criminals trying to make a quick buck?

Or someone from the countryside with experience of handling livestock?

I mean, I'm just wondering, if I came into this field

looking to take one of these sheep away with me...

..is it an easy thing to do?

No, it's not a really easy thing to do.

You could have a go.

It's a totally unscientific experiment.

I'm going to pit my urban wits

against those of a grey-faced mule sheep.

It's townie versus animal!

Didn't even get as much as a handful of wool.

They may be stupid, sheep, but they're not idiots.

They are quicker than me.

Whoever's stealing sheep,

especially in numbers, knows what they're doing.

And they certainly do.

The police have got another call from a farmer some 50 miles away,

reporting a very similar theft.

Anne and husband Alan, who's been in and out of hospital recently,

have discovered 36 of their prized cattle are missing.

It's not the first time it's happened, unfortunately.

I think this is either the third or the fourth it's happened.

It's a nightmare. Money's tight.

And it's easy, easy game...

..to go and get them out of the field

because if anybody drew up with a trailer, who would query it?

And what effect could this have on your livelihood

and the future for this farm?

Well, money will be very tight.

-The overdraft will go bigger.

-How much are we talking about?

-You're talking an average of £400 an animal.

-So it's well over £10,000?

Well, it will be, yeah.

Anne knows that anyone stealing this number of cattle

must be highly organised.

They have got to have an outlet for them.

They need a passport to sell them on. They can't do it otherwise.

Every cow in Britain has paperwork.

It's called a passport

and each time they're bought or sold,

the passport goes with the animal.

Without this, no official abattoir or butcher will touch them.

How do you feel then, that somebody can see

when your husband's ill, that's the way it appears,

and is waiting for those moments to then steal your cattle?

If I'd have heard them, I would have shot them.

It's almost as though, over the last few years,

somebody's worked out that there are wallets on legs,

roaming around the countryside

that can be taken with a bit of effort and turned into cash.

Where they go after that is less clear...

Their route to your plate does mean, though,

they're not always entirely going to be safe, and it also means

the whole process is guaranteeing misery for farmers like Anne.

Coming up...

I visit a legal abattoir to find out what they do there

to keep carnivores like me safe. Eugh!

In some circumstances, the whole of the carcass would be forbidden from going into the food chain.

From the right way to the wrong way. Meat as you never want to see it.

There was a huge forequarter of meat just hanging there on a chain.

There's no protection from insects or bacteria.

That meat cannot be sold to members of the public.

Back in Enfield, Claire and Mary are at the Sun & Moon restaurant.

-The inspection started badly.

-Why is the rice sitting out on the side?

-Why isn't it in the fridge?

-And then got steadily worse.

There's a few mouse droppings down the back of here.

Well, that means they came in last night.

-And then it turned downright bizarre.

-I don't believe this!

I've just seen a rabbit!

But before Mary and Claire finish,

there's a storage shed outside they still have to inspect.

Mary has spotted something stuck to one of the mouse pads.

-What's that on there? Is that just leaves?

-I'm not sure.

It doesn't look very healthy whatever it is.

Oh, let's have a quick look.

I don't know what it is.

Em... From the droppings it looks like...

A mouse. There's feet here.

Ooh, right, OK.

The discovery of the decaying rodent along with all the other problems

leaves Claire with only one option.

I feel that there is an imminent risk to health here

because you haven't got proper cleaning equipment,

you haven't got proper cleaning chemicals here and because of the knowledge that I've seen

and the active infestation of mice here,

I'm not happy with you to carry on trading and I will ask you to close.

So if you could just turn the lights off, put the sign to "closed"

and don't take any more orders.

Claire and Mary have given the owners a list of jobs that must be completed

before the restaurant can reopen.

Until then, it must remain closed.

It could put them out of business,

that's something that we do know and also, the lady tonight,

she's saying if we close her for a long period of time -

and she's got three children - it affects her livelihood,

so it is with mixed feelings that we do this. But, at the same time,

you know, we have to look at the bigger picture

which is public health risk.

It's the end of a long night for Claire and Mary.

They plan to return to the takeaway later in the week

to assess progress of the work they've asked to be done.

Now, here's a frightening thought for you - 40% of all food poisoning

happens when we're cooking for family and friends at home.

So the question I've got for you is - are you a potential poisoner?

Well, each week I'll be visiting a home or a workplace near you

and to make sure no-one ends up with a dicky tummy, I'll be bringing

an unexpected guest - our very own food inspector Ben Milligan.

Today it's the great British fry-up.

Every year, we eat nearly three billion sausages,

seven billion rashers of bacon and 11 billion eggs,

but do you know the risks and how to avoid them?

Today, I am in Lincolnshire to pay a visit to the fire and rescue team.

These boys and girls are on duty seven days a week,

365 days a year and it is a hungry job.

And did you know that the favourite food for a firefighter is a fry-up?

Morning, Green Watch.

I know you guys do an incredible job

keeping us safe from all types of danger every single day.

Well, today we are going to return that favour.

We are going to make sure that you eat safely in this station.

We're going to give you a food inspection

and I've got a little surprise for you...

-Morning, all!

-This is Ben, our food inspector.

Just like you, he takes his job very, very seriously.

Now this is a normal day for you,

so we're going to start it with an emergency drill.

ALARM BLARES

So away you go.

SIREN BLARES

While Green Watch carry out exercises,

firefighter Dave is going to rustle up their favourite breakfast -

the full English.

It's the Full Monty, so it's got bacon, sausage, eggs,

hash browns, onion rings in there.

Er, bread, tomatoes, beans. Yeah, the works.

'Lovely. Even though Dave's been Green Watch's cook for the past seven years,

'a fried breakfast has plenty of food safety pitfalls

'lurking inside every sausage and egg.

'Which is why Ben and I are here with our top tips

'to keep the breakfast bacteria at bay.

'First up, chef hygiene.'

If you've handled raw meat, you should then wash your hands.

You shouldn't go all around kitchen, touching all the other things.

Remove all traces of soil from any raw food.

What should I be fearing as I'm making mushrooms?

You should be fearing soil-borne bacteria.

So the best thing to do is cut that piece off

and then give them a little rinse.

Beware of raw egg splashes.

It will be cooked to make it safe,

but whilst it's raw, you've got to be careful where it's going.

If you don't wash your hands properly,

if you splash it about the kitchen,

there is the potential that you can spread contamination around.

These eggs are inoculated against salmonella.

There are still risks with Campylobacter.

Even sealed tins can be a source of contamination.

You never know where the can's been stored.

It could have been in a cash and carry with mice or anything

and they could be mouse urine over the top of the can.

Would you wash a can before you opened it?

I'd wash the top of the can before I opened it.

-Have you ever done that?

-No, never done that.

-No, nor have I.

And raw sausages are a major cause of food poisoning,

so make sure they're cooked through.

Let's have a look. Looking for, in the middle, above 70 degrees.

Which it is.

They're cooked. So there you go, experienced chef.

-He knows, she knows.

-I know.

'Food poisoning doesn't just come from our food.

'Our kitchens can harbour all sorts of hidden bugs

'and Ben knows just how to find them.'

Right, who is without tomatoes?

That would be me.

So, while Green Watch tuck in, Ben gets stuck in.

Will our firefighters be quite so pleased with his results?

-You had a good look round, didn't you?

-I did.

-What did you think?

-It's tidy.

But it's filthy!

LAUGHTER

When you say, "Filthy," how filthy?

-Cos you've got special gadgets, haven't you?

-I do.

I've got a little special gadget here

which shows you how much organic matter is on your surfaces,

on handles, that sort of thing.

What that means is how much plant, animal or bacteria,

bacterial matter is on there. Um...

Dirtiest part of the kitchen?

Dirtiest part of the kitchen, by a small margin, is over here.

-Get back. Get back!

-So this is the area.

You can see there's little spots and stains.

-This is where all the tea's made.

-Yeah.

What I would expect from a surface is between 500 to 1,000.

-That's the reading?

-Yes. That's... Above 1,000 would be a fail.

-Right.

-So any ideas what you got?

-1001?

-1001?

-1,000.

-How many?

13,000.

That's filth. That's off the scale.

Now, this might be high,

but the truth is Ben finds these levels in most of our inspections.

We all find it hard to clean up the nasties we can't see.

And, in this kitchen, like so many, there's an obvious culprit.

This is sort of a perfect breeding ground for bacteria?

Yeah, exactly - it's moist, it's nice and warm in here.

They'll just be breeding like crazy in there.

You've got blue kitchen wipes there -

just wipe off, throw it in the bin. Any bacteria goes in the bin.

The boys from Green Watch told us they are really hot, of course,

on fire safety in the kitchen.

Now, after our visit,

they say they will take food safety just as seriously.

So remember - even your favourite meal can contain hidden dangers

and, in your kitchen, if you can't see dirt,

that doesn't mean bacteria aren't there.

The best advice is to clean and then sanitise work services.

A damp dish cloth can spread more bacteria than it cleans -

use disposable paper towels.

Oops!

Imagine you are new to the whole food business.

Would you have any idea about the myriad of food regulations out there?

Food inspectors don't just turn up unannounced.

You can ask them in for help,

as the dos and don'ts of food safety can be pretty daunting.

David Norton is the food inspector the Central Bedfordshire.

He visits his fair share

of restaurants and takeaways with problems,

but today he's on his way to help a new business -

a cafe at a garden centre. Ooh, lovely!

When I visited for an advisory visit earlier in the year,

there were just doing sort of tea, cakes, scones, that sort of thing.

But the aspiration, I think, was for them to develop into full meals.

From the start, the owners have been keen to get David in

to help them set up the business.

It was just really nice, because they...

they phoned us right at the outset and said,

"When can you come and do an advisory inspection?"

Andrew Asprey used to be an investment banker in London.

18 months ago, he realised a dream

and set up his own small business with a cafe attached.

For David, he's keen to check that all areas of health and safety

are up to scratch.

You've got your hot connected in, haven't you, to something?

-But what's it...?

-No, nothing.

-So, no, that still outstanding.

-Yeah.

How do we know at the moment that the fridge is running at the right temperature?

Um...we don't.

Obviously, we've got some mould growth, haven't we?

Now it's time to get down to the real business, which is food.

As a cafe, selling tea, cake, sandwich,

it would appear there's not much to worry about,

but David has other ideas.

There's not really, that I can see, any red meat that you're handling.

But what we do have is the potatoes.

And the potatoes are a possible source of the E. coli contamination.

Potatoes?! Are you sure?!

Apparently, yes, E. coli 0157 is found primarily in animals' guts,

which means it's also found in their poo.

The very same poo farmers and gardeners

then spread on their veg as manure.

The problem occurs when that fertilised soil gets inside you.

We've not, historically, talked about carrots as a risk food.

But they are a soil vegetable, so just like the potatoes,

they're grown in the soil, obviously.

So what we're looking for with this...

I mean, overall, your organisation's not too bad.

But making sure that the carrots are stored elsewhere,

away from your salad vegetables.

One of the most popular dishes on Andrew's menu

is his home-made coleslaw,

made with, you guessed it, raw carrots.

But David thinks the latest E. coli guidelines

suggest the raw carrots need to undergo a mechanised washing process

before they can be used in the food trade.

How will Andrew take it?

How would you feel for now to say, "OK, we'll just..."

-"..live without coleslaw," that's fine.

-Yeah, yeah.

-And that's a question...

-I think that's ridiculous.

Coleslaw is absolutely a totally healthy meal.

If there is a risk of E. coli,

-I'd rather serve it on the menu, saying there's a risk.

-Mm.

You know, I know mine come local. The carrots are local.

I know they're extremely healthy,

they're grown in very good conditions

and that's what we're striving for, healthy food.

I can understand the reaction that you're having.

What I'm trying to say to you is that this is ultimately about

trying to make sure that the consumer...

..is protected.

You only need fairly small numbers of the bugs to make people ill.

David wants Andrew to take coleslaw off the menu while he checks,

but Andrew's not happy.

For me, if...

You know, I'm running a very clean establishment,

we're using local food, we're producing healthily.

If it got to the point where the general rules

were completely so outlandish that it didn't make sense for us to open,

then there's no point to being open. There almost seems to be a...

We've lost the sense of common sense.

But, for David, it's all about going by the book. Quite literally.

"Leafy and root vegetables...

"that have not been supplied as ready-to-eat...

"..will not have been subject to controlled washing procedures,

"and should be classed as a potential hazard

"in terms of cross-contamination of E. coli 0157,

"particularly if soil or manure is visible.

That is outrageous, as far as I'm concerned.

I cannot...

personally see the risk of it.

David's agreed to talk to the Food Standards Agency,

but that's cold comfort for Andrew.

The risk of E. coli is absolutely miniscule.

I mean, for me, "sufficient" would be bring them in here, wash them,

chuck them in the fridge.

You know, you got these people making decisions in suits and ties

in an office and they are telling me what I can do in my nursery.

That's what drives me nuts.

'We're on the trail of the trade in illegally slaughtered meat.

'It all began when our food inspector found some bones.'

We're looking at about 60 pigs.

'Then I met a farmer who'd had more than 50 sheep stolen

'a few months ago.'

This is not someone that's just come up into the hills...?

That's quite a lot of sheep to move in one go.

Well, it's a very large trailer load.

'And it's a crime that can lead to stolen meat

'ending up on our plates.

'The slaughtering process that puts lamb, beef and pork on our plates

'is closely monitored by men like Craig.

'And he can't just stroll into an abattoir in his everyday clothes.

'So it's time for us to put on our whites.'

OK, now, what's this that's going on now?

I've got a beard, I'm afraid, so the head must be covered.

So you would rather keep the beard and wear the snood

than lose the beard and not have to wear that?

-Yes.

-You really like your beard.

-I do.

MATT LAUGHS

OK, so in terms of what's on our plate,

what is this process eliminating

that maybe it illegal slaughtering wouldn't be?

Well, the process is all about controlling risk.

The risks in this case are about bacterial diseases

that could make you quite upset.

'Bacterial diseases that they check for

'include salmonella and E. coli,

'but it's not just the things you can't see.

'There are also rigorous checks for parasitic conditions -

'abscesses from cysticercosis, tapeworms and liver fluke.

So this slaughter process, it's got checks all the way through,

for the outside of the animal, for the inside of the animal,

to prevent these things coming through?

Yes, definitely, because Simon, as the meat inspector here today,

has got powers that, if he finds something that's wrong,

he makes a judgement on the carcass that maybe part of the carcass

would need to be removed from the food chain

or, in some circumstances, the whole of the carcass

would be forbidden from going into the food chain.

The animal carcass is now passed fit for human consumption.

The final job is to give the meat a UK health mark,

meaning the meat can now be traced,

all the way back to where it was farmed.

If you do come across lamb that's not marked like that,

is that a time you need to start asking questions?

Yes. I would be very concerned about that.

If you go to the supermarket and look at the retail packs of meat,

you'll see that this mark it self translates onto the label -

you'll see the oval mark to show where it was produced.

so, when you see that mark on your chops, rump or roast,

you can be happy it's safe.

But if meat hasn't been through the proper channels,

you may end up eating meat that has been treated like this...

In 2010, Trading Standards officer Samantha Diamond

was called to this farm in Northampton.

We went into this initial barn at the front

and there was a huge forequarter of meat, just hanging there on a chain.

No coverings,

so there's no temperature control of how the meat's kept.

There's no protection from environmental factors,

such as insects or bacteria.

There's waste product here from the slaughter of animals.

And that should be disposed of in a proper way

so that other animals can't access it.

In that storage area, there was meat from an animal

that had been killed on-farm,

so that had not been through any inspections.

So that meat cannot be sold to members of the public.

So the meat on the butchers' blocks and in the cardboard boxes,

it's all exposed.

You know, and if you're moving something from one part

of the store to the other, if it's dripping blood,

it's going to drip over the meat that's on the floor,

so it's just not...hygienic.

In this case, the farmer was home-slaughtering cattle

for personal consumption, which IS legal.

However, he was convicted for food safety and hygiene offences.

But once animals are stolen,

there's no saying how they're treated or disposed of.

Animal rustling is a crime blighting the lives of farmers across Britain.

And the damage it does to us doesn't end there.

Stolen livestock don't go through any of the necessary checks

to ensure that the food is clean, safe and free from disease.

So a final message, to make sure you meat is safe, look for the stamp.

Back in North London, and Claire is flying solo

for a revisit to the Sun & Moon, a Chinese takeaway where rodents

have been leaving more than just a few droppings.

-There's feet here.

-Ugh. Right, OK.

I'm not happy with you to carry on trading and I will ask you to close.

Claire has returned several days after the first visit,

to find out if the rodent problem has been solved.

The reason that I've come here today,

obviously you requested a visit

to see if you would be allowed to open today.

I'm going to be looking around

to see if I can see any further evidence of mouse activity.

You've worked hard, well done. That's really good.

So far, so good.

But what about that shed where the takeaway ingredients are stored?

There's a few bits of dirt, but there's no droppings.

I can't see any more droppings here.

But is there a way back in for the furry pests?

I think, for the time being, while it's still open like this,

don't keep the food in here.

Until you get that covered, if you can move that inside.

The shed may be open, but it's clean.

But are there any signs of the mice inside the kitchen?

The shop owners believe they've had all the gaps

where the mice may have entered before now sealed.

If you can get a pen in, if you can get a pen underneath,

then you can get a mouse in.

-Yeah, they will...

-Yes, I know.

..actually push their body down to get under.

But have they?

OK, there's one dropping there, but it may be that that was...

It might have been on equipment before or...

Will a single mouse dropping keep the shop closed?

Or is Claire happy?

You just need to make sure that if there is activity here,

with mice, if there is a stray one in here,

or one or two still in here, that everything is protected

and also that you sanitise down just before any food preparation happens.

The Sun & Moon's owners wait nervously to learn their fate.

OK, well I'm happy that you've done all the works on the schedule.

You've worked really hard here, so I am happy that you open,

and I'll issue you with a new certificate

which says that there's no longer an imminent risk here

and that you're OK to open.

Claire is satisfied with all of the work

and the Sun & Moon is back in business.

They've done all what is on the schedule of works

and they seem to be really keen to comply.

And there's a couple of things outstanding,

but I'm really pleased, actually. They've really hard.

Anyway, that was a great result

for the Cagney and Lacey of food inspectors.

-They won't remember Cagney and Lacey.

-They will!

Lacey - the really sexy blonde one.

I'm surprised you're still here.

You should be finding out about the man who dearly died

because he ate an undercooked pork chop.

-Oh, yeah, I'd better go.

-See you.

-See you in a minute.

Now, if you've never had food poisoning, you are extremely lucky,

because for those of us that HAVE had it, we can tell you it is pretty bad.

You feel awful for at least a couple of weeks.

And, for some, it's much, much worse. You're never quite the same again.

And, for others, it can be nearly fatal.

Every week, from my food lab, I'm going to be telling you

some of the worst food poisoning stories there have ever been.

And also, I'll be giving you a few tips

to make sure that you don't become the next victim.

This is the story of Darren Ashall from Chorley in Lancashire -

big, strong, strapping lad, bit of a bodybuilder, in construction work.

And that's how we spent his life,

travelling around the UK in a caravan, living, cooking on site.

And he made one mistake, one night,

and it nearly cost him his life.

Every Monday, I'd go to a supermarket

and buy myself a big steak...

..and two great pork chops.

This particular pork chop, you could tell it wasn't quite cooked.

-And I swallowed a bit.

-How much?

-Just a mouthful.

Darren says he cooked his piece of meat for about five minutes.

As I slice it open, as you can see, the meat is still red.

Now, that means it isn't cooked well enough.

The bacteria inside is still alive.

Well, three weeks after eating that one mouthful of undercooked pork,

things took a terrible turn for the worse.

Woke up with the strangest headache I've ever had.

And a tingling in the corner of here, like pins and needles,

if you will, but it were localised.

Within 48 hours, Darren was in intensive care,

fighting for his life.

I never thought that Darren had gone from being at work,

a couple of days earlier, to the state that he was in there.

And it just went drastically downhill. Drastically, so quick.

I had tubes in my hands, tubes up my nose, tubes down my throat.

But the only time I realised I thought I was going to die

was when my family was round my bed.

And they all started to leave, crying.

We was told that they was taking him down for some scan,

so we all said our goodbyes to him as they were wheeling him off and...

That was it for me. I thought that would be it.

I didn't think we'd ever see Darren alive again.

Darren believes he contracted listeriosis from listeria

in his undercooked piece of pork.

Listeria in undercooked pork is rare,

but not unheard of because listeria is widespread in the environment.

In soil, in sewage and in the faeces of animals.

It wasn't just the listeria, it was what listeria caused to happen

so it went beyond listeria.

Listeria was the pinpoint of it but it was like a domino effect.

It brought everything else on with it as well.

Darren's nervous system was under attack.

Listeria in food passes through the stomach to intestine

where the bacteria invades your own cells. And it's clever.

It tricks the immune system into thinking it's harmless

by hiding inside our body.

Then it multiplies and affects other parts and, in Darren's case,

doctors believe the bacteria invaded his nervous system,

leading to meningitis.

The doctors said I could possibly lose a limb

due to the meningitis alone.

Listeria had a high kill rate

and to pull through with both was quite spectacular.

After five months of aggressive antibiotics, Darren began to improve.

The doctors still didn't know what had caused his illness.

He went through his list of things.

I went, "No, no." "Have you had any undercooked pork?"

And as soon as he said that, that's it. It was like a light bulb.

From undercooking a pork chop,

you go within a month from being a bodybuilder to being at death's door.

Yes, literally.

Listeria can occasionally be found in raw meat,

but it's most commonly found in chilled ready-to-eat foods, including

prepacked sandwiches, pate, butter, soft cheeses and cooked sliced meats.

The best ways to prevent listeria infection is to always

wash your hands before and after handling raw food,

don't eat food that is past its use-by date, always follow storage

instructions and make sure your fridge is below 5 degrees centigrade.

The only advice I can give people is to make sure you cook it properly.

Overcook it, just don't undercook it.

Because it could cost you your life.

Coming up later, I'll visit a sandwich factory

to see how they keep their products listeria-free.

This doesn't look like a kitchen, this looks like a science lab.

Brent, North London.

Home to more than 300,000 people and also to some 2,500 food outlets,

every one of which needs to be inspected.

Brent Council's food inspector Andreas Kirschner is heading off to

inspect a fishmonger and butcher who he has inspected before.

The first thing he needs to do is find out if it's got any history.

By looking at the last inspection, I would expect that we find

a little bit of dirt.

Things don't get off to a terrific start.

I've got to tell you, the shop is in a bad state of repair, OK?

If you look at it, the whole thing is falling apart, literally, yeah?

It's not long before Andreas finds tell-tale signs that this shop

may have had some...visitors.

The mice are running over the shelf, and then

they are gnawing through the packaging and eating the contents.

So they have an endless supply of food in here, yeah?

There's quite a bit of mouse droppings around this area as well.

Aw, mice - lovely, aren't they? Cute, furry... No.

There actually a serious problem in any food business.

One rodent could lay up to 60 droppings every night

and they urinate frequently.

If that wasn't bad enough, they can carry salmonella

and also a disease that can cause viral meningitis.

You know you have a lot of gaps, yeah?

If you look at the doors, there are a lot of gaps where they can come in.

A mouse is going to get through here.

Mice are getting through openings as small as a pencil.

You need a door that fits to the frame properly.

But mice aren't the only pest problem this shop has faced.

Andreas is looking for evidence of a continuing cockroach invasion.

Whatever your pest control company is doing,

it is not working entirely because it seems you have the mice

and the cockroaches for some considerable time.

It has been mentioned in consecutive test reports.

Cockroaches are one of the worst food pests.

They carry and transmit diseases such as dysentery,

gastroenteritis and typhoid.

Their droppings have been linked to an increase of eczema and asthma

and a few cockroaches in the kitchen can quickly become an infestation.

There is an alive one. You see this one there?

In the cockroach world, it's considered very bad form to

be found lying on your back when the inspector calls.

This bug is out of luck. Smile. You're going on Facebook.

Has the owner done everything the pest control men suggested to get rid of this problem?

In his report, it says also that spraying would be needed.

I'm not sure if that has been carried out.

I doubt it, otherwise you wouldn't have so many cockroaches.

Andreas' suspicions seem to be confirmed

by what he finds behind the fish counter.

There are quite a lot of cockroaches there. Do you know about it, yeah?

Do you see them running around? There are loads of them there.

So they arrived here in the preparation area

where they prepare the fish, cut the flesh, do whatever.

So, obviously, that's completely unacceptable.

The evidence is mounting up and, in some cases, crawling off.

It's time for the owner to face his filth.

If you have a look for yourself,

you have so many live cockroaches in the preparation area.

They are all alive. Have a look.

I've got to tell you, it doesn't look good.

I think we're going to have to shut you down.

I think we have to close you.

Why? Because you have cockroaches running over your food.

For me, if I see live cockroaches within your preparation area,

-that is not acceptable.

-I have too many children.

If you close my shop, I'm dead.

If I leave you open, you're killing your customers.

Let me ask you a question.

Would you like that your wife goes to a shop and buys fresh fish

and fresh produce when you know in the shop

they have mice and cockroaches and they crawl over the food

that your wife is going to buy and you're going to eat?

-I know, I understand.

-Do you understand what I'm saying?

So you understand our point, OK?

There is no option but to close you today, formally.

In my opinion, it is a risk to public health.

It is right next to food. The owner knows about it.

It's in the pest report.

It's in consecutive reports as well

so it is not something that's happened since yesterday.

It's an ongoing thing and I think they should be closed.

The decision's made and the premises are closed.

The owner now has an opportunity to clean up his act, and Andreas

will return in two weeks when he will assess the improvement.

Until then, the shutters are coming down.

I'm in a food factory. Why?

Because UK food production is worth a whopping £179 billion a year.

That's a lot of cash and along with that comes a lot of responsibility.

One small mistake

and the consequences to the consumer can be enormous.

Each week, I have been given exclusive behind-the-scenes access

to show you how the major manufacturers keep Britain safe.

Cheese and tomato, cheese and ham, ham and pickle,

cheese and pickle, BLT, chicken salad. I love sandwiches.

And you would have thought to produce one of these -

a prepacked sandwich - safely would be something pretty easy to do.

But did you know that one of these is a potential breeding ground

for lethal bacteria?

So what do the sandwich makers do to make them safe?

This is Raynor Foods in Chelmsford.

They are a firm which prides itself on food safety.

They make 30,000 sandwiches every day.

They have to take their food safety very seriously.

-If I could ask you to put your hood on.

-There is a hood on there?

Yes, we have a hood because hair complaints are one of the most

common complaints in the food industry.

I would say a hair in a sandwich isn't nice. Bit dodge.

-But it's not going to cause me any harm, is it?

-It's possible.

Hair can contain a pathogen called Staphylococcus aureus

and in sufficient numbers these can produce a toxin and this toxin can

cause food poisoning symptoms like diarrhoea, stomach ache, nausea.

OK, I'm going to take a hair much more seriously next time I see it in food.

Let's go.

OK, I look stupid in my rather fetching blue overalls,

but at least you won't be picking any of my hair out of your sandwiches.

-How many sandwiches do you make?

-About 32,000 products per day.

So 32,000 sandwiches products a day. There's not a lot in your fridge.

All the stock gets delivered to us just prior to when we need it

so we're using it as close to its production day as possible.

And the reason they don't want any of their ingredients

hanging about any longer than necessary is

because of one of the deadliest food poisoning bacteria known to man.

-Our old friend listeria.

-You see, it's a very common organism.

You can find it in your drains at home, on the bottom of your shoe,

you can find it in the back of your fridges

if you don't clean it out often enough.

It's ubiquitous. It's everywhere.

Of course, strict temperature control isn't the only way of keeping

-the bugs at bay.

-This is the sterilisation room.

-What goes on in here?

-We wash all our fruit,

vegetables and herbs, as well as external packaging in this solution.

When you're washing lettuce and vegetables,

are you just making sure there is not mud in it

or is there something serious?

No, you're removing the mud, which is important,

and you're also removing any potential pathogens.

These grow in the field.

E. coli is found in animal intestines and human intestines

and if they use manure in the fields, it's possible you could get

E. coli contaminating all the lettuce and tomatoes.

Is it water? It doesn't smell like water.

-No, we wash it in chlorinated water.

-Is that safe?

The levels that we use it at, yeah. We wash it at very, very low level.

OK, so any vegetables get Jacuzzi'd in chlorine to kill the bacteria.

Next up is the assembly line.

Those of you obsessed with continuity may notice my boiler suit has

changed colour. That's because it's extra clean in here.

This doesn't look like a kitchen, this looks like a science lab.

Yeah, it's very sterile and hygienic in here.

And it's a lap with just one purpose.

To get a sandwich made as quickly and as hygienically as possible.

Because as soon as those two pieces of bread hit the line,

the clock starts ticking.

We've got a lot of people in here and a lot of equipment in here

and that produces a lot of heat. So because it's warmer in here,

it's more of a chance for bacteria to grow and multiply.

So by limiting the amount of time that it stays in production,

that limits the potential growth.

So you are taking enormous precautions here.

I have a confession - it's not like that in my kitchen

-when I'm making a sarnie.

-You can only poison your own household.

Because we're supplying thousands and thousands of consumers,

we have the potential to cause a lot of harm,

which is why we take the precautions that we do

to mitigate and reduce them to acceptable levels.

And there we have it - the perfect sandwich. And it tastes delicious.

To all the prepacked sandwich makers, we salute you and thank you.

Carry on protecting Britain.

Back in Bedfordshire, and two weeks ago food inspector

David Naughton visited the Mill End nursery and cafe.

When it came to carrots,

David wasn't happy with how they were being washed.

Root vegetables that have not been supplied as ready to eat

will not have been subject to controlled washing procedures.

The risk of E. coli is absolutely miniscule.

You've got these people making decisions in suits and ties

in an office and they are telling me what I can do in my nursery.

That's what drives me nuts.

Andrew's coleslaw was off the menu.

It was deemed too dangerous to serve.

He wasn't going to take it lying down,

and he took his campaign to the local papers.

But now David's had time to get some guidance from

the Food Standards Agency

over the complicated issue of carrot cleansing.

What they came back to me with

was the advice that what controlled washing

means in practice is rinsing in cold water in a colander

and removing the item to ensure that all dirt is removed.

So that's carrot washing then.

Pretty straightforward. And that is great news for Andrew.

So the new guidelines are out?

I'm really pleased to say we can have coleslaw back on the menu.

We are now doing the carrots in the way that we have been told

and I can use my fresh carrots from Grove farm.

I would have imagined this sort of thing would've taken six months,

that I would have had to have battled my way out of miles

and miles of paper but, I think whoever David knows and has spoken to,

commonsense has prevailed and that's what's important.

Absolutely. And it's good to know that food inspectors are happy

to listen and, if necessary, take advice.

For Andrew, not one to miss a trick, his coleslaw is back on the menu

but now he's given it a very cheeky new name.

Back in Brent and food inspector Andreas Kirschner

closed Number 1 Halal Meat two weeks ago.

On his first visit, he found a cockroach infestation.

You have so many live cockroaches in the preparation area.

They're all alive.

But it turns out the cockroaches were only really there

to keep the mice company.

You have mice gnawing through the packaging and eating the contents.

There is no option but to close you today, formally.

He's now off to find out if any improvements have been made.

I'm going to go there and have a look and see if he has refurbished.

See if all the pests are actually gone.

Then we decide if he can reopen or not.

So you've done quite a bit, eh?

Looks like a completely different shop now.

First impressions are good

and Andreas is impressed by the look of the place.

But he has got an eye for detail.

Not even the smallest space escapes his attention

as Andreas ensures public safety,

armed only with a meticulous nature and a can of bug spray.

Cockroaches are crafty but, happily for the owner's customers,

Andreas is just as thorough at making sure that they're gone.

Hold on. What's this?

Here.

Doh! Has the owner blown it?

There is just some stuff crawling around there.

But one cockroach does not an infestation make.

And Andreas can deliver some good news.

We found one barely alive cockroach, but, in my opinion,

the imminent risk of injury to public health has been removed,

so we're going to give you a certificate today,

then you can reopen.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome.

The hard work has paid off.

It's a new start for the business

and a safer future for its customers.

Now I am very, very happy because

now everything is OK here, properly.

And opening it is better for me.

For us, the most important thing is that we closed him

when we did because, obviously, at that point,

his premises were completely unacceptable.

Whereas if you're walking in now, it's a nice shop.

Everything was clean, everything was refurbished.

You can see, walking in, it looked like a different shop altogether.

Pest control seems to have done a good job.

I think that's a good result for us.

It's good to know the food inspectors are out there

keeping shops and restaurants safe, but our kitchens?

Well, they're up to us.

For those of you that do cook at home,

hopefully we have given you some good advice about how to cook safely.

-And don't be put off your dinner. It'll be all right.

-It will be.

-See you next week.

-Goodbye. Seriously, cheese, a bit of pickle.

-I'm not going to do it.

-It's simple.

-I don't want to do it.

Next week,

the illegal trade in shellfish that's putting our health at risk.

We know people are going out there and bringing in cockles

and I for one most certainly won't be eating them.

In Gravesend, Mandy finds a filthy kitchen and lays down the law.

Dump it. Get a new one. What are you playing at?!

You need to get your act together.

And I drop in on the woman who cares more about her pets

than her kitchen.

I'll test it, but it looks to me like faeces.

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