Mizan Spice Limited and Mr Mahmud Ur Rahman, a director of the company, appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court on 25 July 2019 facing the charge of a breach of food safety and hygiene regulations. Both the Company and Mr Mahmud Ur Rahman pleaded guilty. The Company was fined £4,000, with costs of £970 and a victim surcharge of £170 – a total of £5,140. Mr Mahmud Ur Rahman was fined £500, with costs of £1,017 and victim surcharge of £50 – a total of £1,567.
The offences occurred on 18 June 2018 when environmental health officers from Walsall Council carried out a routine food hygiene inspection at Mizan Spice in Walsall Wood.
During the inspection, the presence of mice was evident within the kitchen, store cupboard and the bar. Mice can spread human pathogens, such as Salmonella, Listeria, and E.coli and in the worst cases, these pathogens can cause death. As the business presented an extremely serious risk to public health, environmental health officers immediately closed the premises with a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice and Order.
Councillor Garry Perry, Portfolio Holder for Community, Leisure and Culture said:
“I for one am very glad that we have such dedicated environmental health officers working hard to keep us safe. Poor food hygiene procedures can cause terrible illness and suffering – I know this from personal experience.”
“It would have been significantly cheaper for this food business to have had proper pest control measures in place and I hope other food businesses take note of the financial penalties involved in this case. Although we will enforce where necessary, we will always seek to work with businesses with a commitment to improve and advise them of the standards expected.”
Following close collaboration with Environmental Health and a pest control contractor, the business was allowed to re-open on 21 June 2018.
Since the incident, the business has improved matters and, on the last food hygiene inspection carried out on 4 December 2018, it was rated a ‘3’ under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, meaning it was ’generally satisfactory’.
Councillor Perry added:
“I would always recommend people investigate the food hygiene rating of an establishment and vote with their feet.”
Mouse droppings were observed:
- on a plate seen in the bar.
- in a metal bowl food container in the store cupboard.
- on expanding foam next to a pipe in the store cupboard.
Food hygiene ratings for the borough of Walsall can be investigated via https://ratings.food.gov.uk/authority-search-landing/en-GB/433
