A shopper's viral video has revealed a mouse running inside a popular food kiosk at Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre, prompting a response from the chain and environmental health officers.
Shopper's shocking discovery goes viral
Rhea Farmaha, a 26-year-old from Birmingham, captured the incident on camera back in October. The footage, uploaded to TikTok on December 22, shows what appears to be a small rodent scurrying around the Batch'd stall, which is known for selling doughnuts, brownies, and cakes.
Farmaha, who claimed to be a former assistant at that very branch, stated in her video that she had reported the sighting to environmental health officials. The video quickly garnered attention, raising concerns about pest control in the busy city-centre mall.
Batch'd issues robust defence
In response to the allegations, Batch'd operations director Louis Richmond provided a detailed statement. He confirmed that professional pest control is in place at the site and emphasised that the company takes all pest-related issues "extremely seriously."
Richmond pointed to a broader problem, stating: "Within Birmingham Bullring, it has been widely publicised that there is currently an increased issue with mice due to ongoing bin strikes and broader waste-management challenges across the city."
He explained that as a kiosk in the middle of a bustling mall, the stall is more exposed to the centre's general environment but stressed that the business actively works to mitigate these risks.
Company highlights strong food safety record
Defending the brand's nationwide reputation, Richmond noted that Batch'd operates 25 locations across the country. He revealed that every one of their sites, except for the Birmingham Bullring branch, currently holds a 4 or 5-star Food Hygiene Rating, with the majority achieving the top 5-star score.
He directly addressed claims that the issue was widespread, calling them "categorically untrue" and suggesting they originated from a "disgruntled former employee" without visibility of other sites.
Following the video, Environmental Health Officers conducted an inspection of the Bullring stall. It is understood that officers were satisfied there was no immediate contamination risk to customers and that the pest situation was under control.
The Bullring shopping centre has been approached for its own comment on the matter.
