Health Dept. Closes Vons Bakery: Cockroaches, Unsanitary Conditions

The Ventura County Environmental Health Department closed the bakery section of a Thousand Oaks grocery store on Monday due in part to unsanitary conditions and a cockroach infestation.

Vons, a supermarket on Avenida de Los Arboles, could not sell homemade breads, cakes and cookies after a routine inspection discovered the cockroach problem and unclean areas in the bakery, according to an inspector’s environmental health report.

A representative from the environmental health department inspected the store again on Tuesday and allowed Vons to reopen the bakery after discovering the cockroach infestation had been remedied.

The inspector also reported that the store’s market areas and delicatessen had unsanitary ceilings, floors and/or walls; the delicatessen’s refrigerator had no thermometer to ensure hazardous food was safely stored at correct temperatures; and the seafood and delicatessen areas was subject to vermin problems due to improper prevention measures. Additionally, the report said that equipment and utensils in the delicatessen, meat and seafood areas were unclean.

A spokesperson for Vons said the insect infestation was a result of the dishwasher’s pipe being improperly sealed and noted that the entire department was sprayed and the wall holes sealed to address the problem.