Smith’s on Wyoming shut down due to health violations

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Smith’s location at Wyoming and Paseo del Norte may be closed for a while longer after the city hit the store with a red tag.

According to the report by the city’s Environmental Health Department, rat droppings were found throughout the store.

Mark Dimenna is talking about the CABQ Environmental Health Department.

“There was initially consideration about maybe partially closing them so they could deal with a few isolated issues,” said Mark DiMenna with the Environmental Health Department. “But once you’ve got something like rodents, you really just kind of want to address the whole facility.”

DiMenna said it wasn’t a total infestation, but enough to need immediate attention.

“I will say it was found lightly,” DiMenna said. “So you know, probably like only a slight issue, but just widespread through the store, as opposed to what people were thinking is like a very concentrated area or something like that. It’s not super severe. It’s just that it’s widespread through the facility.”

He said the city sent another inspector to the store Tuesday and is working with the grocery chain, alongside pest control.

There’s no timeline on when the store may reopen just yet. But Dimenna says when it does reopen, it will be up to code.

“If you go back, and there’s a green sticker on the door, the city’s green sticker, we don’t put that green sticker up unless we’re confident that everything’s been addressed and that it’s safe to get your food there,” DiMenna said.

He says the store will reopen – it’s just a matter of when. The health department looks for compliance and establishments working toward compliance.