The seller, which operated out of Coulsdon in South London, was prosecuted by Croydon Council after an inspection revealed shocking hygiene conditions.
During the visit, the council’s food safety team found pigeon droppings on food, rat droppings next to food and gnawed food in the warehouse.
The team concluded that there was very little evidence of care taken to protect food from pest infestation and as such, significant risks were being posed to customers. Basic hygiene practices were not being followed and food was left unprotected.
Following the investigation, K Veg Wholesale Ltd, based in Ullswater Crescent, was issued with multiple hygiene improvement notices, none of which were complied with.
K Veg Wholesale is a large importer and distributor supplying wholesalers, retailers and shops across the UK, as a result the council highlighted that the repeated failings could potentially impact a large number of people.
When the case was heard at Croydon Magistrates’ Court, the district judge agreed that it was highly likely the conditions found at the premises would have resulted in customers experiencing ill health.
The company director, Mr Vettivelu Thiraviyathasan, pleaded guilty on behalf of the business and was ordered to pay a fine of £100,000 for the offences, as well as a victim surcharge of £2,000. The council’s full costs of £5,097.37 were also awarded, bringing the total penalty to £107,097.37.
“We are taking a zero-tolerance approach to businesses that put our residents’ health at risk through poor food hygiene standards,” said Jason Perry, executive mayor of Croydon.
“Our food safety team works hard to protect residents and support businesses to operate within the law. Where businesses ignore repeated warnings and fail to meet basic standards, we will take enforcement action and will not hesitate to prosecute.
“Residents deserve to feel proud and confident in the businesses serving their communities.”
