Store’s £19,000 fine over mouldy food

A KENILWORTH convenience store has been ordered to pay out nearly £19,000 after evidence of mouldy food being sold to customers was discovered.

The owners of Sukhi’s Simply Fresh Convenience Store in Roselands Road, AS Roselands Ltd and Sukhjit Sidhu pleaded guilty to 15 offences food hygiene offences at Nuneaton Magistrates’ Court on March 28.

The court heard how there was no food safety management system implemented.

Evidence was heard which meant there were no ‘adequate’ procedures in place to show when chilled foods had been put out on display, when items had been defrosted or cooked and when they should have been removed from sale.

Inspectors found evidence of food being displayed at unsafe temperatures which even resulted in the sale of a mouldy sausage roll.

There was also no system for checking the temperature of baked favourites and chilled foods.

Failures in maintaining the cleanliness of the store room and chest freezers were also identified.

Decaying food was strewn across the shop’s rear yard which inspectors believed would likely attract flies and vermin.

Despite the intervention of Warwick District Council’s Food Safety team and the advice given on making improvements, Avtar Sidhu, rep- resenting AS Roselands Ltd, and Mrs Sidhu consistently failed to take the corrective measures prescribed.

The store was given a zero food hygiene rating following an inspection in August 2016.

Moira-Ann Grainger, Warwick District Council’s portfolio holder for health and community protection councillor, said: “Warwick District Council takes the health of our residents very seriously.

“We work closely with food establishments to encourage the highest of standards.

“We will always take enforcement action against businesses who fail to comply with the standards required of them and as a result put the health of our residents at risk.”

AS Roselands Ltd was fined a total of £11507.06 including costs and Mrs Sidhu was fined £7,507.06 including costs.