Chip shop owners ordered to pay £4,540
The owners of a city chippy, who pleaded guilty to seven offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, were both ordered to pay £2,270 each at Birmingham Magistrates Court today (12 August 2015).
Arshad Zaman, 42, and Shafqat Zaman, 30, of Kingswood Road, Moseley, who run Quick Fry Chippy, at 153 Anderton Road, Small Heath, were both fined £1,650 and ordered to pay £500 costs plus a victim surcharge of £120 each.
Birmingham City Council prosecuted the business after environmental health officers found poor cross-contamination practices on 14 April 2014. This was a planned follow-up visit to a previous inspection, in between which the defendants had taken over the chip shop.
An officer revisited the premises – which also sells takeaway Indian curries - on 27 May 2014, when she found there were still poor conditions and practices, plus no documented food safety management system in place. A schedule of works was left with Arshad Zaman.
However when the officer returned on 4 August 2014, she saw no evidence of improvement and a food safety management system was not in place.
Four further visits were made during August and September 2014, during which environmental health officers raised concerns over temperature controls, as high risk foods were not being stored at safe temperatures, and the owners had also failed to comply with Food Hygiene Improvement Notices issued on 6 August 2014.
An environmental health officer returned to Quick Fry Chippy for a scheduled routine inspection on 8 December 2014 , during which it was noted that concerns raised during previous visits were still present.
On 10 December 2014, Arshad Zaman was served with an Improvement Notice, requiring all staff to be given food safety training, and a schedule of work.
Cllr Barbara Dring, Chair of the city council’s Licensing and Public Protection Committee, said: “Officers made nine visits to Quick Fry Chippy between April and December 2014, and on each of these occasions issues around food safety and hygiene were raised.
“There was a risk of cross-contamination, food being stored at unsafe temperatures, and there was no evidence of food safety procedures or practices being effectively implemented.
“People should be able to have confidence in the safety of the food served and the cleanliness of any food business in Birmingham, whether it’s a takeaway or a restaurant.
“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.”
The business was allowed to continue trading during this period and remains open to customers.
On 28 January 2015, officers revisited Quick Fry Chippy and found that staff had received food safety training, as per the Improvement Notice issued on 10 December 2014.
ENDS
Media contact: Emma Brady, Press and PR Officer, on 0121 303 6969 or email emma.brady@birmingham.gov.uk
