A zero-rated Powys takeaway has vowed to make changes after inspectors found “dirt could be scraped off the floor.”

The Golden Rice Bowl in Llandrindod Wells have said they have made a number of changes after receiving a zero rating after an inspection from the Food Standards Agency which criticised the takeaway for its standard of cleanliness.

Inspectors also found that lemon sauce - made from custard powder and lemon squash - was kept unrefrigerated.

But they also acknowledged that when a follow-up visit was carried out the next day that standards had "significantly improved".

Owners of the Golden Rice Bowl said they have requested a new inspection and are hopeful that there will receive a new higher rating after improving conditions at the takeaway.

In their report inspectors said: “The standard of cleaning to the structure of the kitchen, including the work surfaces, was extremely poor. A thorough deep clean (and disinfection) was required.”

They noted in the report that cleaning was required behind and beneath the cooking range and fryers, the area around the wok sink, underneath and behind equipment, such as, fridges and chest freezers and the floor areas at every doorway – in these areas inspectors said “dirt could be scraped off the floor”.

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Inspectors berated management of the establishment and criticised them for “significantly varying record of compliance” and a “poor appreciation of hazards and control measures”.

The report claimed the business had “no food safety management procedures” and that the owners had “some reluctance in recognising or accepting the need for food safety and hygiene control procedures”.

Inspectors said: “You had been completing your opening and closing checks fully prior to the inspection, which includes ticking that the premises had been cleaned; however, this was not the case, during the inspection it was found that the kitchen was in a filthy condition and that cleaning had not been undertaken for a long time.”

However, inspectors from the Food Standards Agency said that immediate action was taken to improve conditions.

They said: “This deep clean was undertaken after voluntary closure immediately following the inspection on Thursday 3rd August 2023 and a revisit was made the following day; cleaning had significantly improved and the kitchen was re-opened.”

Other issues were also raised in the report, inspectors found “it was unclear which sink is actually allocated for use for handwashing as there appeared to be no handwashing occurring, and when asked where hands were washed a sink was pointed out which had no soap and I had to run the tap for a while to get hot water, indicating it’s lack of use.”

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There was also criticism that food taken from the fridge was not reheated to a high enough temperature before being cooked and that there was evidence of pests such as flies.

Food items were also considered not be stored in an appropriate way this included “open packets of sugar and flour were being stored in open packets” as well as “two bottles of lemon sauce was found at room temperature; this sauce was a mixture of lemon squash with Birds Eye custard powder.

“Once the custard powder has been dissolved in the squash, this mixture needs to be refrigerated as it will grow bacteria and have a shelf life of a maximum of 3-4 days. Ensure when this lemon mixture is made, it is refrigerated and used within 3-4 days.”

They were also marked down for structural issues in the building including wooden areas of the wall, bare plaster and flaking paint.