Countdown apologises after Auckland shopper finds mould growing on meat shelf

The mould was found at Auckland's Quay St store.
The mould was found at Auckland's Quay St store. Photo credit: Twitter / @ascroft_joe / Google Maps

An Auckland supermarket shopper has made a rather grisly discovery after finding mould growing in a tray in the meat section.

A photo posted to Twitter shows several packets of chicken sausages on a metal wire shelf sitting just above a plastic tray that has a layer of bright green mould. The user says the "good wee sheet of mould" was seen at Quay St Countdown in central Auckland.

It's unknown how long the mould has been growing on the supermarket shelf. 

A Countdown spokesperson told Newshub they've been in touch with the store and the plastic lining was immediately removed. The rest of the meat section has also been checked.

"Our food control plan requires that these linings are monitored regularly, and replaced every week, or as required," they say.

"We are very sorry for this customer's experience. It is not the standard we set for our stores."

On the customer's Twitter post detailing the find, one person said it's "incredibly bad" to find mould growing on a supermarket shelf.

"I spent six years cleaning out butchery trays, and never saw anything like that. Those plastic sheets must've been there unchanged for weeks," they said. 

It isn't the first time Countdown's meat section has been at the centre of attention. Last month, shoppers at a Wellington store were annoyed that chicken was on 'special' for just 12 cents less following an in-store ticketing error.