The Morrisons supermarket branch on Caernarvon Road in Cheltenham has been awarded a one-star food hygiene rating, indicating major improvements are required. The rating, issued following an inspection by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in January 2026, highlights significant shortcomings in food safety and hygiene practices at the store.
According to the FSA report, the store needs urgent enhancements in hygienic food handling procedures-including preparation, cooking, reheating, cooling, and storage practices. Furthermore, the supermarket’s food safety management system requires substantial improvement to ensure all food sold or served is safe for consumption and that staff possess adequate food safety knowledge.
Despite these concerns, the cleanliness and condition of the building and facilities were deemed generally satisfactory by inspectors.
READ MORE: Durham Claim Convincing Ten-Wicket Victory Over Gloucestershire After Bad Light Delay
READ MORE: Award-winning Gloucester advocate highlights challenges faced by disabled jobseekers
The inspection followed a complaint from a customer who visited the store and found multiple frozen food items in a defrosted state. The customer, who wished to remain anonymous, described picking up a packet of frozen chips that was noticeably soft, and noted that the freezer itself felt warm. She observed similar conditions affecting other items on the top shelf of the freezer.
When she raised the issue with a member of Morrisons staff, her concerns were reportedly dismissed. “I worry they pose a health risk to customers, as we don’t know how long these have been stored in warm temperatures for,” she said.
UK food safety regulations require frozen food to be stored at -18°C or below. However, inspectors found one freezer at the Cheltenham branch operating at -0.4°C, with frozen cod fillets measured at -1.1°C. The inspectors concluded that these conditions posed a risk to human health, resulting in the disposal of 431 items, including 48 packets of Morrisons Savers Chicken Nuggets and 33 bags of Young’s Flipper Dippers.
Responding to the report, a Morrisons spokesperson stated: “We take food hygiene issues extremely seriously, and this report reflects historic issues. As soon as we became aware of the rating, we took immediate action to address and resolve the issues raised. We are working towards a re-inspection.”