Health inspector finds live mouse at east Louisville Kroger while investigating complaint

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's health department is investigating complaints of mice at another local Kroger store.

A health inspector investigated a complaint at the Kroger at 9440 Brownsboro Road near the Gene Snyder, across from the Paddock Shops.

Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness said the inspector found mice droppings, some "chewed-through product" and a live mouse in aisles 14-17.

Droppings were also observed in the stockroom of the Kroger store, the health department said.

The store was ordered to close the aisles, break apart shelving to see where mice "might be harboring" and clean and sanitize the area. The health department also issued orders for the store to seal any holes in the back stockroom where mice "might be harboring or entering."

Health officials will conduct a follow-up inspection at the store later this week, the department spokesperson said.

The complaint made Monday comes days after health inspectors revisited some Kroger locations that were already under investigation for complaints of mice and found new signs of rodent activity. That includes the Goss Avenue location and a location on La Grange Road.

The Holiday Manor location was also investigated for complaints of mice. Health officials said a follow-up visit to the store showed no evidence of rodents, but weekly follow-up visits will continue.

A complaint was reported at the Goss Avenue Kroger in mid-June, forcing the store to close over the weekend of June 14-15 to address the issues.

Complaints were also made at the location on La Grange Road on May 5, June 6 and June 9.

Health inspectors investigated both stores and found mouse droppings, but no live mice.

While the two Kroger stores got "A" ratings on their last inspections, the health department said that's for areas where food is handled and prepared, such as the deli and meat counters.

Inspections were also conducted at the Holiday Manor Shopping Center Kroger location after evidence of mice was reported and confirmed by the health department.

Kroger said last week it is continuing to work with the health department to resolve the issues.

A Kroger spokesperson released a statement on Thursday that said it is taking these inspections seriously.

At Kroger, maintaining a clean, safe, and welcoming shopping environment is one of our highest priorities and we take any concern that threatens that standard seriously.

As soon as we became aware of this situation, our team acted with urgency to contain and resolve the issue. We immediately launched enhanced cleaning and sanitation procedures throughout the affected areas, including deep cleaning with food-safe disinfectants and targeted treatment protocols.

Additionally, we have engaged licensed pest control specialists to perform a full inspection and treatment and are increasing the frequency of their visits to the impacted stores. We continue working closely with the Louisville Metro Health Department (LMHD) to ensure all corrective actions meet or exceed regulatory expectations and are operating our stores in accordance with their recommendations.

Health inspectors said they've received about 200 complaints about Louisville grocery stores, and about 60 of those were from Kroger stores.

Health inspectors said about 20 of those complaints were rodent issues.

Below is a searchable database showing the most recent health inspection at every grocery store in Louisville. The data was obtained from the city through on open records request: