Food safety inspections at the BBC’s canteens have exposed a litany of hygiene issues — including an infestation of cockroaches at its main cafe to the stars.
Pest control reports seen by show the News Cafe, which serves food and drink to staff and talent including Alex Jones, Zoe Ball and Vernon Kay at Broadcasting House in London, had a persistent problem with the vermin.
Separate checks at the Beeb’s Media City studios in Salford, home to huge shows including Match of the Day, found food items in the kitchen that had gone out of date the previous YEAR.
The reports, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, are enough to turn the stomachs of anyone eating on BBC premises.
Some of the documents, five of which are from the last 12 months, also indicate invasions of fruit flies and filter flies attracted by dirty drains, rotten skirting boards and mouldy walls.
Pest control reports seen by show the News Cafe, which serves food and drink to staff and talent including Alex Jones, Zoe Ball (pictured) and Vernon Kay at Broadcasting House in London, had a persistent problem with the vermin
Vernon Kay appears on an episode of Loose Women on September 10 2024
Cockroaches breed fast and can spread food poisoning bugs salmonella and E. Coli. They also trigger asthma and allergies by shedding body parts and faeces.
Evidence of German cockroach activity was consistently detected in the kitchen of the News Cafe by Rentokil in September, October, November and December last year.
Insecticidal spray treatments did not appear to do the trick, as the creatures returned again and again. More recent reports were unavailable so it is unknown if they continue to plague the canteen.
In September, three separate inspections found evidence of cockroach activity in the kitchen and plate wash area, and live adult insects were captured.
It was also noted that a ‘deep clean’ was required beneath the sinks to ‘remove residue and debris currently encouraging fruit fly activity’. The bugs were also seen hovering around the microwaves where staff heat their lunches.
One report stated: ‘It is believed that [insect] activity is migrating from the kitchen into the canteen area.’
However, despite a toxic spray treatment, five further inspections in October, November and December found the cockroach infestation endured.
The BBC said the issue had been resolved but regular inspections are continuing to prevent the bugs returning.
A spokesman said: ‘This canteen has achieved the highest five-star food hygiene rating. Our canteens are routinely inspected and if any issues are raised they are swiftly rectified.’
Sandwiches that had gone out of date the previous year were found in the canteen at BBC Media City in Salford, where Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright film Match of the Day
Many of the BBC’s staff and shows were transferred to Media City, starting in May 2011
Disgusting hygiene issues were found during other inspections in London and Salford – including ‘red slime’ in one kitchen.
Legal demands were issued to fix the problems immediately so the cafeterias could stay open.
In Salford, where Gary Lineker, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer film Match of the Day, there was no soap by the sinks, making it impossible for food preparation staff to wash their hands properly.
The News Cafe was judged non-compliant for the cleanliness of its sinks and dishwasher, which had ‘red slime growth and deep cleaning needed’.
There were further breaches relating to cleanliness because of ‘six months’ grease accumulation’ that needed to be scraped away before service could resume.
Rules had been broken due to a ‘grease trap’ in the main pot-wash area not working and deep cleaning was ordered for the kitchen’s shelves.
Food had been kept on display at warm temperatures for longer than food hygiene rules allow, and kitchen equipment needed to be deep cleaned.
The report also noted that there was insufficient space in the freezer to store food, and that in the past the kitchen had been plagued by an infestation of fruit flies — which can carry unhygienic bacteria.
The two canteens at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, where Strictly Come Dancing is filmed, also had a couple of minor issues that needed fixing.
Cockroaches can spread food poisoning and trigger asthma and allergies by shedding excrement and body parts (File image)
Cockroaches are considered a serious hygiene risk (File image)
These included peeling paint that needed to be rectified so a splashback could be cleaned properly and a crumbling ceiling in a storage room.
Local authorities are responsible for inspecting businesses and enforcing food hygiene laws.
They can take action if they find standards of food hygiene are not good enough, ranging from requiring that issues be fixed to closing the premises or even bringing a prosecution.
Inspections take place at up to five-year intervals but are often more frequent. The reports released to the Daily Mail are for the most recent inspections at all three BBC locations for 2020 and 2022.
The food from the BBC staff canteens is famously bad and has provided material for stars including Ronnie Corbett, Peter Sellers, Terry Wogan and Les Dawson.
Sellers quipped on the Goon show in 1954: ‘Lunch is now being served in the BBC canteen. Doctors are standing by.’
Legendary BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson recently joked on X, formerly Twitter: ‘A meal I recently had at a cheap roadside joint in Khartoum was better than the BBC canteen.’
BBC producer Kevin Core posted about a tuna mayo sandwich that was ‘so bad’, adding: ‘The guy made it knowing it was properly hard [and] stale. Outrageous.’
News presenter Rich Preston lightheartedly claimed the depiction of the BBC’s offices in Scoop, the drama about the Prince Andrew interview, was ‘utter nonsense’, adding: ‘They showed the BBC canteen with a wide-ranging and healthy food selection.’
The Rentokil reports, released to Mail Online under the Freedom of Information Act, noted consistent cockroach and fly activity over a period of eight months
As well as ‘evidence’ of the insects, live cockroaches were also captured by the inspectors
Writer Bethany Black branded the canteen’s food ‘the worst I’ve ever eaten’, adding: ‘A tin of chopped tomatoes with a diced mushroom in it isn’t bolognese sauce, and adding bell pepper doesn’t make it chilli.’
BBC director Rob Jones posted a picture of a bowl of bright-red ‘soup’ he had been served, calling it ‘bloody awful’.
Radio 4 newsreader Chris Berrow quipped last year: ‘Given that National Avocado Day has been trailed heavily at the BBC Canteen I’m distraught to find that this year, once again, not a single item on the menu contains avocado.’
Allie Hodgkins-Brown, a duty editor at BBC News, complained that it cost £1.50 to have a ‘scraping’ of butter and Marmite on two slices of bread she had brought in.