A worker at the distribution center of a major supermarket chain has shared shocking photos of rats running across floors and products.
The employee recently made the squeamish discovery at the Coles Forest Lakes distribution center in Heathwood, south-west Brisbane.
The former picker and packer, who worked at the factory for six years, said there was a good chance rat feces could be in products that could be on supermarket shelves.
He snuck his phone – which is officially banned in the warehouse – to take photos and videos of the rats.
A former warehouse worker at a Coles distribution center has revealed disturbing scenes of rats (pictured) at the facility
The shocking photos showed vermin scurrying across the warehouse floor, some of them chewing through packets of toilet roll.
Pictures of the disturbing scene show dead baby rats lying on top of toilet rolls after making a mess trying to get into the plastic packaging.
The worker, who chose not to be named, said the rats consume various household items, including milk and soup supplies.
“They do things like long-life milk – UP&GO is one of their favorites, especially the strawberry – and Campbell’s stock and Arnott’s biscuits,” he said. Yahoo.
“There’s a 100 percent chance that some of their feces ended up in the product.”
While the damaged items are being thrown away, the worker claims some of the items were sent to a food bank.
The employee said the presence of rats in the facility has become a major problem and the pests leave a trail of destruction after they gnaw on the products.
‘It’s a complete plague and the rats defecate and piss all over the products. There is rat droppings everywhere and the smell is terrible,” he said.
The worker also captured a video showing two rats facing each other near a pallet with boxes of goods stacked on top of each other.
The disturbing sight prompted the worker to resign due to the poor conditions in the warehouse.
Products were left partially open and when he went to pick them up, the contents fell out.
The worker, who chose not to be named, said the rats consume various household items, including milk and soup supplies. One photo shows dead baby rats lying on top of toilet rolls after making a mess trying to get into the plastic packaging (pictured)
He said the juice once sprayed all over him when he picked up the object after the rats entered.
He said staff had been made aware of the problem but claimed they did not want to address the problem because they believed it was not their responsibility.
He said he decided to reveal what happened in the warehouse because the rat infestation put workers at risk of contracting diseases.
A spokesperson for Coles told Ny Breaking Australia in a statement that the company ‘takes food safety seriously and we work hard to maintain a clean environment in our stores and distribution centres’.
‘We have an integrated pest control system, which focuses primarily on keeping pests out and controlling pests if they enter.
Rodents have oversized teeth that they use to chew food and also find shelter.