Meat cutting plant fined £43,000 for hygiene offences

Sandwell Foods, which trades under the name Halal World, was found guilty in Birmingham Magistrates Court on four charges of food hygiene breaches.

According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), officials initially worked with the business in order to achieve improvements after identifying a number of failings. However, the resultant increase in audits and inspections found further breaches between June and August 2017, which led to legal action being taken.

Charges were brought against the business for not adequately training the staff responsible for developing and maintaining the food safety hazard analysis plan (HACCP plan), having gaps in the roller shutter door, which could allow pests into the site, and not maintaining the floor-to-wall joins in good condition.

Sandwell Foods pleaded guilty to the charges and sentencing took place earlier this week (Monday 19 November).

Birmingham Magistrates Court ordered the business to pay a fine of £36,000, costs of approximately £7,190 and a victim surcharge of £170.

Dr Colin Sullivan, chief operating officer of the FSA, said: “The substantial fine sends a strong message to businesses that choose to disregard the hygiene standards which are put in place to protect consumers.​

“The FSA takes these breaches of food safety regulations very seriously and, as this case shows, we will prosecute those businesses that fail to uphold acceptable standards of food hygiene.”​

Cutting plants have been the subject of a review by the FSA and Food Standards Scotland, which was instigated following incidents of non-compliance at 2 Sisters Food Group and Russell Hume​​.

In their draft review published in October​​, the agencies focused on managing industry culture and shifting UK meat sector attitudes and behaviours in favour of consumer interests.