A Kroger store in Worthington has been shuttered following an “emergency” and inspection by Columbus Public Health.
The Kroger at 60 Worthington Sq., was closed the morning of Feb. 11. Its windows bore signs stating it had been closed following a Feb. 10 inspection by the health department along with a typewritten message that the grocer was “temporarily closed due to emergency.”
Columbus Public Health spokesperson Kelli Newman said the closure was a result of water accumulation that led to sewage backup. Newman said they are unaware what caused the incident and that the facility will remain closed until they are ready for a reinspection.
According to a Feb. 10 Food Inspection Report, the facility was listed as a Level 4 commercial risk.
Comments from the report notes “extremely heavy roof leak” in several parts of the store including near registers, the meat cutting room, retail aisles and entrances to a walk-in freezer and walk-in dairy coolers. The report also notes “observed residue of sewage drain materials throughout several areas of the floors of bakery and deli.”
The report classified the sewage issue as critical and ordered all food and non-food contact surfaces to be cleaned and sanitized and for exposed food to be discarded. The leakage was classified as non-critical.
A Kroger spokesperson also confirmed the store closed overnight “out of an abundance of caution.”
“Our facility and store teams are working diligently to address the situation, and we hope to reopen as soon as possible,” a Kroger spokesperson said in an email.
Publicly available health inspection results show “no critical violations cited” as of a Jan. 5 visit.
(This story has been updated to include new information).
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kroger at Worthington Mall temporarily closed ‘due to emergency’
Reporting by Amani Bayo, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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