Jul 10, 2008 5:48 am US/Central
North Side Whole Foods Closed For Mice Infestation
CHICAGO (STNG) ―
City health inspectors closed down the Lincoln Park Whole Foods store Wednesday after mouse droppings were found on the premises.
The Whole Foods Market at 1000 W. North Avenue was ordered closed after Department of Public Health inspectors discovered evidence of a rodent infestation, according to a release from the department.
Inspectors found mouse feces throughout the premises, including more than 100 droppings in one walk-in cooler and a dead mouse on a glue board trap, the release said.
The grocery will remain closed until management has corrected the violation and passed re-inspection, the release said.
Representatives of Whole Foods will face an administrative hearing Aug. 21 and pay a fine expected to total $500, the release said.
In response to the incident, Whole Foods said in a statement: "We take this incident seriously, and are working closely with the Health Department around the clock to rectify the situation and to reopen our store so we can continue to satisfy and delight our Chicago shoppers. Whole Foods Market has the highest quality standards in the industry and we are doing everything to uphold those standards."
The store said 75 employees have been assigned to deep-clean the whole store day and night, until the city inspection is passed. They have also brought in a pest control operation and other outside agencies to help clean up, according to the statement.
Whole Foods hopes the store will reopen by Friday afternoon, and in the meantime, "Our customers can continue to shop with confidence at our stores. Whole Foods Market has the highest quality standards in the industry and we are doing everything to uphold those standards."
The North Avenue store was the first Whole Foods in the Chicago market It opened in 1993 in what was then the still up-and-coming Clybourn Corridor. It is is one of 15 Whole Foods Markets in the Chicagoland area.
The store boasts being world's leading retailer of natural and organic foods, with more than 270 stores in North America and the United Kingdom.
The enforcement action was the 109th time in 2008 that health inspectors have shut a food establishment for violations of the city's Health Code.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2008. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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