Chinese restaurant takes away a £7,000 fine
A Birmingham restaurant, which pleaded guilty to seven offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 was ordered to pay more than £7,500 at Birmingham Magistrates Court today (18 February 2016).
Chop and Wok Limited, which is based at 2-5 Suffolk Street Queensway, Birmingham and operates Chop and Wok at 11 Suffolk Street Queensway, was ordered to pay £7,000 in fines and £593 towards costs.
Birmingham City Council prosecuted the business after environmental health officers visiting the Chinese takeaway restaurant on 16 February 2015 found dirty conditions throughout the kitchen and no evidence staff handling and preparing food had received any food hygiene training.
Also there was no documented food safety management system in place, meaning there was no analysis of critical control points, which could have led to significant cross-contamination of foods.
When officers returned to Chop and Wok on 19 February 2015, there was still evidence of dirty conditions, lack of food hygiene training and no food safety management system in place. Six improvement notices and schedules of work were given to the restaurant.
Officers revisited the premises on 23 March 2015, when they found the necessary improvements had been made.
The restaurant was allowed to remain open and continue trading throughout this process.
Cllr Barbara Dring, Chair of the city council’s Licensing and Public Protection Committee, said: “People should be able to have confidence in the safety of the food served and cleanliness of any food business in Birmingham – regardless of whether it’s a takeaway or a posh restaurant.
“All food businesses in Birmingham are included in a regular inspection programme which is designed to ensure they all operate to a good standard, and firms that don’t comply with these strict standards will be prosecuted.
“We want the city’s food businesses to thrive and as such our officers work closely with premises to ensure they achieve the necessary standards required to operate safely.”
After a further, unannounced inspection was carried out on 2 July 2015 by environmental health officers, Chop and Wok was given a Food Hygiene Rating of 3 (out of a maximum score of 5), which rates the premises as generally satisfactory.
ENDS
Media contact: Emma Brady, Press and PR Officer, on 0121 303 6969 or email admin@birminghamnewsroom.com
