A shopkeeper caught selling out-of-date food says the one-star hygiene rating given to his business is “absolutely ridiculous”.

Visvalingam Puvanachandran, who owns and operates Premier Bavishna in Ashford, has hit out after an inspector ruled the convenience store requires “major improvement”.

In July, it was discovered staff at the Kingsnorth Road shop had food on the shelves that may be “harmful for human consumption”.

This included a Rustlers burger and some chicken tikka pasta that were past their use-by date.

"During the visit, multiple foods that are ready to eat were found to be beyond their use-by date,” wrote an inspector from Ashford Borough Council.

“This date is in place because the manufacturer can guarantee it is safe until such time.

“You must not sell food that is unfit or harmful for human consumption.”

The staff had also been storing food items and drinks on the floor and had not taken the required steps to pest-proof the premises since the last inspection, the report says.

Mr Puvanachandran told KentOnline the issue with out-of-date food was a one-off mistake, but has vehemently pushed back against the findings.

He said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous. I mean soft drinks on the floor - every cash and carry has this as well. What’s wrong with that?

“The out-of-date sandwiches was a mistake. Normally we clear the shelves every night but we only had one person working on the night before the inspection and they forgot.

“So that’s my staff’s fault - I’m not arguing with that - but everything else I can’t tolerate.”

The shopkeeper of 15 years was particularly upset over criticism that a door noted for not being flush with the adjacent wall during the last inspection in 2022 had “still not been fixed”.

“The old door has been completely replaced,” he said.

“It cost £1,000 to replace it. The workmen sealed it.”

He added the inspector should “come back and touch it to see that the gap is no longer there”.

“What’s wrong with these people?” he said.

Mr Puvanachandran says since the inspection he no longer stores any products directly on the floor.

The inspection also revealed egg and bacon sandwiches and tandoori chicken wraps that were out-of-date were still for sale.

Despite seeing his business’s hygiene score drop from “good” to “major improvement necessary”, the longtime Ashford resident believes the report will have little impact on trade.

“I was really upset about the report initially but then I just ignored it, because I know I’m doing my job correctly,” Mr Puvanachandran added.

“No single customer has asked me about the council decision.

“If the council think I don’t care, well I do. I follow everything, I clean and I work very hard.

“Maybe I don’t keep a good record of it all, but I do my job.”

A spokesperson for Ashford Borough Council declined to comment on Mr Puvanachandran’s comments but said businesses have the right to appeal food hygiene ratings.

A previous version of this article said the hygiene inspection took place on July 27th, as this was the date given on the front page of the hygiene report. Ashford Borough Council have since confirmed this date was incorrect and that the inspection took place on July 17th. KentOnline is happy to clarify this.