A restaurant owner was fined £5,000 after rotten and mould covered food was found during an inspection. Food inspectors found mould growing in tubs of food, fruit so rotten it was barely recognisable and packets of cheese covered in fungus during a search of the restaurant in Wales. Fish and chicken months past their expiry dates were also among the revolting stash discovered during a spot inspection.
The Food Business Operator pleaded guilty to seven food hygiene offences at Caernarfon magistrates court. Among the charges he faced was failing to have proper controls in place to prevent cross-contamination and poor cleanliness standards. He was also found guilty of failing to implement a documented Food Safety Management System within the business.
The restaurant has been closed since the December inspection.
Prosecutions highlighted in the media are often centred around either a lack of an effective food safety management system or failing to adhere to relevant sections detailing how food should be produced safely. This reiterates the importance of subscribing to an adequately maintained, reviewed and updated system, ideally one that is a bespoke to the individual business. Once a system has been designed, it is equally important for key staff to be trained to understand how using it should produce food that is safe to eat.
