BBC stars’ canteens discovered with hygiene points together with ‘pink slime’

The BBC has been caught in a food hygiene scare after health hazards were discovered in its staff canteens – including ‘red slime’ in one kitchen.

Legal demands were issued to fix some of the problems immediately so the cafeterias could continue serving food and drinks to BBC staff and stars including Alex Jones, Tess Daly, and Gary Lineker.

Local authorities inspected food outlets at the Beeb’s New Broadcasting House in London and Media City in Salford, Manchester.

Now, documents released under Freedom of Information laws reveal a catalogue of stomach-churning complaints.

At one canteen in Salford, home to huge BBC shows including Match of the Day, inspectors found food items in the kitchen that had gone out of date the previous year.

There was also no soap by the sinks, making it impossible for food preparation staff to wash their hands properly.

The News Cafe canteen at Broadcasting House 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 also needed a deep clean.

The report also found 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.

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 MailOnline are for the most recent inspections at all three BBC locations for 2020 and 2022.

Food from the BBC staff canteens has a dire reputation and has provided material for stars including Ronnie Corbett, Peter Sellers, Terry Wogan and Les Dawson.

Sellers once 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 also recently joked on X: ‘A meal I recently had at a cheap roadside joint in Khartoum was better than the BBC canteen.’

And BBC producer Kevin Core also posted about a tuna mayo sandwich that was ‘so bad’ that ‘the guy made it knowing it was properly hard [and] stale. Outrageous.’

News presenter Rich Preston also light-heartedly claimed the depiction of the BBC’s offices in Scoop, the drama about the Prince Andrew interview, was ‘utter nonsense’ due to it showing ‘a wide-ranging and healthy food selection.’

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 chili.’

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.

While the BBC was asked for food hygiene reports on its canteens, it refused to disclose them. MailOnline instead obtained them from the local authorities for each BBC office location.

Birmingham City Council said it was unable to provide the inspection report for the BBC’s West Midlands Mailbox location as these had been lost.

A BBC spokesman said all the issues raised by inspectors had been fixed, adding: ‘[The canteens] have achieved the highest 5-star food hygiene rating. They are routinely inspected and if any issues are raised they are swiftly rectified.’

It comes after viewers of BBC cookery show Saturday Kitchen were horrified by food hygiene standards on display last month.

Chef Tong Chee Hwee had been invited on to serve up the ‘best Peking duck in town’.

He was seen using a tea towel to dry a raw duck after dousing it with water, before placing the ‘infected’ towel on a work surface – and later using it to dry his hands.

The BBC also previously had a problem with mice at New Broadcasting House.

 Building managers emailed all staff telling them to expect to see traps laden with bait laid throughout the newsrooms.

The memo said: ‘We should not be expected to put up with them just because we are in central London.’

The problem was blamed on the size of the holes cut into cabling ducts, which staff were told would be tightened.