A TAKEAWAY owner in Redditch has been fined almost £9,000 for food safety and hygiene regulation offences.
Nadeem Talib Saif, aged 33 of Pedmore Close, Woodrow, pleaded guilty at Redditch Magistrates Court on Thursday (May 25) to eight offences relating to food safety at his Grillicious Pizza & Grill in Mount Pleasant.
The offences included failing to have adequate pest control procedures, failing to have temperature-controlled food handling procedures based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), lacking suitable temperature-controlled food handling and storage conditions, keeping food at incorrect temperatures, and failing to keep the premises and food preparation equipment clean.
The case was brought by Redditch Borough Council after problems were found across multiple food hygiene inspections by Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) in 2016 and this year.
The court heard that a routine inspection of the takeaway in April had found extensive mouse droppings in several locations and poor standards of hygiene, and a lack of correct procedures for either, which led to an emergency closure notice.
Mr Saif was able to re-open two days later after removing the mice and complying with other immediate requirements relating to cleanliness.
After a satisfactory follow up visit in May, a subsequent visit in September found food kept at the wrong temperature and for longer periods than is allowed. Inspectors tested fried chicken at 53 degrees centigrade, which had been kept for three hours, and chicken donner meat at 57 degrees centigrade. The critical temperature to safely store such foods is 63 degrees centigrade or above.
At a further visit in February this year, while some improvements to the previous problems had been made, food safety records had not been completed since October and the standard of cleanliness was inadequate.
Damaged tiles, floors and walls made cleaning difficult, and unclean cooking equipment was found, with deep fat fryers, the surrounds of two kebab grills, and a griddle all greasy or with burnt food debris. A food preparation area had grease and debris on the floor, and the sink and food mixer there were dirty.
The prosecutor highlighted Mr Saif’s consistent food safety failures and ongoing food safety concerns as aggravating features for the offences.
Mr Saif’s solicitor told magistrates that Mr Saif had sub-let the business for a seven-week period in 2016 and during that time damage had been caused and standards lowered. He said he had since made investments in the fixtures and improved cleaning regimes.
Magistrates fined Mr Saif £6,000, awarded full costs of £2,616, and with a £170 victim surcharge included the total financial penalty was £8,786.
Simon Wilkes, Head of WRS, said: “The law requires all food businesses to meet certain standards of food safety to protect public health.
“Food has to be safe, and while we work closely with businesses to ensure they meet the required standards severe or persistent breaches can lead to prosecution in the public interest.”
