A MALVERN supermarket has given an explanation why food in its fridges was binned after criticism from some residents. 

Concerned residents saw food from fridges in bins outside the Co-operative supermarket, in Worcester Road, on Monday, (February 26). 

Writing on social media a resident said: "Sacrilege. Co-op in the Link had a powercut and literally put the whole contents of all those new fridges in the bin out the back.

"They said it was 10 hours in the fridge overnight - I'm sure nothing would actually go off in that time.

"I get the freezer stuff - but most of the display fridges in there are just cold storage.

"I mean. If your fridge goes off overnight would you really throw away sealed ham, butter etc the next day? You just wouldn't."

Malvern Gazette: RESPONSE: Malvern Link Co-op has responded to criticismRESPONSE: Malvern Link Co-op has responded to criticism (Image: Co-op)Other residents in the comments said: "That’s awful. What a waste", while another said: "That's horrendous - there are so many people who would be grateful for that food."

Worcestershire County councillor for Malvern Link, Karen Hanks, said it was "sad to hear" but defended the Co-op saying there was likely an operational reason for it. She added the supermarket had been "extremely generous" in supporting food banks. 

A spokesperson for Co-op supermarket said: “Co-op has a responsibility to ensure that the food it sells is safe to consume.

"Unfortunately, due the power cuts and length of time that the fridges were off, which far exceeded limits set by the Foods Standards Agency, the items were no longer safe to consume.”

The store installed new fridges as part of a four-week programme of works and improvements at the near 6,000 sq ft store before Christmas.

After the refit store manager Andrew Lane said: “The store has been transformed with a fresh new look, and we are really looking forward to welcoming members and customers back into their Co-op.

“Our aim is to operate at the heart of local life, and we’ve worked to develop and enhance the range, choice and added services to create a compelling offer to serve and support our community, conveniently.

“This includes a focus on delivering member-value so that the people who own our business, our members, benefit every time they shop.”

The store is also features its own local Food Bank collection point.