GREENFIELD — Local health department officials confirmed they worked with management at the Greenfield Kroger to address some pest control issues that were brought to their attention by customers earlier this year.
One customer reported finding a dead mouse inside a loaf of bread. Another customer reported finding mouse droppings in a package of food, and another told the Daily Reporter she spotted a mouse scurrying through the alcohol section of the store.
The Hancock County Health Department conducted two inspections to investigate pest complaints — once in mid-February and once in early March — and worked with the grocery store, 1571 N. State St., Greenfield, to correct the issues, officials said.
They’ve now been addressed satisfactorily, they say.
“The store has no such problem now,” Eric Halvorson, a Kroger spokesman, said in an email to the Daily Reporter. “We take any health concern seriously — no matter what it is — and react accordingly.”
Kroger will continue to monitor the situation and take the appropriate steps to address any further issues, officials said.
The complaint about a dead mouse being found in a loaf of bread was received by the Hancock County Health Department on Feb. 12. Another complaint about a mouse being found in a loaf of bread was received on March 5, said Letsy McCarthy, an environmental health specialist.
Both complaints were about the same brand of bread, McCarthy said.
The department fielded another complaint around the same time regarding mouse droppings that were found in a pre-packaged container of basil, McCarthy said. The container was not compromised, leading inspectors to believe it was an issue with the packaging facility, not Kroger, she said.
Grocery stores are not required to report pest control issues to the health department, McCarthy said. These issues were brought to the health department’s attention by customers.
The health department conducted a routine inspection of the entire Kroger store in January. Inspectors returned in February and again in March to conduct a complaint investigation. Another routine inspection occurred in April. Follow up inspections will be performed as deemed necessary by the health department, McCarthy said.
No inspections are announced, McCarthy said.
Kroger has taken appropriate actions to rectify the problem; and the store’s managers will continue to monitor the situation and take the appropriate steps to address any further issues, she said.
But some customers admit they’re still worried.
Lisa Bridges said she was a regular customer at the Greenfield Kroger.
She first became concerned when her son saw a mouse running through the store near the beer and wine section during a shopping trip.
That was last fall, she said. Her worries were only heightened when she saw Facebook posts from acquaintances who claimed they’d also seen mice or their droppings at the store and in food.
Now, she’s switched to shopping at the Shelbyville Kroger location; but she’s considering abandoning the chain altogether until she’s certain the issues have been corrected.
It’s frustrating, she admitted, because she just wants to assume her grocery store is clean.
Pest issues at big box stores aren’t unusual — no matter how hard the staff tries to keep them out, McCarthy said.
“Unfortunately mice sometimes find a way into a food establishment despite efforts to keep them out,” she wrote in an email to the Daily Reporter. “The large grocery stores, such as Kroger, have pest control companies that generally do monthly service and will come on occasions when problems are found.”