Legal News
Former owner of takeaway fined £5,500 for food hygiene offences (5 November 2015)
Date: 05/11/2015
The former owner of a takeaway business in Derbyshire has been fined £5,500 after pleading guilty to 11 food hygiene charges.
Fa Huang – formerly the owner of Bamboo Cottage takeaway in Water Street, Bakewell, Derbyshire – was prosecuted after warnings from inspecting officers about food hygiene standards were ignored.
The prosecution was brought by Derbyshire Dales District Council.
The court heard that District Council officers had discovered “a nightmare catalogue” of issues – including raw chicken stored on top of cooked food.
Containers of sauce and a chopping board also had mould growing on them.
Magistrates described the state of the premises as “a scandal”. Mr Huang was fined £5,500 by Chesterfield Magistrates – and was also ordered to pay costs totalling £1,172.
After the hearing, a spokesman for the District Council said:
“Our environmental health team worked really hard with Mr Huang to get him to comply with legal standards, bringing in a translator to assist with meetings and arranging for a Cantonese Food Standards Agency representative to work with the business.
“However, further inspections and swab tests showed that, despite our support, the owner was unable to improve standards and we were left with no alternative but to prosecute.”
Duncan Lewis Crime Lawyers
Duncan Lewis crime lawyers can advise at any stage of a charge or investigation into food safety issues – including before charges are brought or when an investigation into food safety is launched.
There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and Duncan Lewis can also advise on mislabelling of food, issues relating to weights and measures, licensing and illegal or counterfeit food items.
For expert legal advice on food safety offences, call Duncan Lewis crime lawyers on 0333 772 0409.