Culina Salus

Restaurant owner fined for 'sewage smell' hygiene breaches after 200 fall ill from catered event

THE owner of a London Road curry house has been hit with a £6,000 fine after a food poisoning outbreak which led to more than 200 people being taken ill.

Sivapathasundaram Premanathan, director of VP & Sons, which owns Spiceland in Broad Green, pleaded guilty to 20 food hygiene offences at Croydon Magistrates' Court on December 12 and was hit with a £6,000 fine.

Environmental health officers at Croydon Council were alerted by the organiser of a coming-of-age party in December 2014, which was catered by the restaurant, after which more than 200 guests fell ill.

They discovered the food for the party had been produced and delivered from Spiceland, which had failed a food hygiene rating a month earlier.

When the inspectors returned a few days after the party, they found "very dirty" conditions in the kitchens; the washing up sink smelled of sewage, the walk-in chiller was dirty with food spillages and debris, raw meat and chicken was stored directly above ready-to-eat food and the hand wash basin could not be used because it was cluttered with dirty cloths and utensils.

They also found staff were ignorant of basic food safety practices and were seen handling food without washing their hands.

Officers returned the next day, after Premanathan agreed to make sure staff washed their hands and cleaned the kitchen, as well as carry out repairs.

After several further inspections, officers returned in January 2015. They found some effort had been made to repair and clean the kitchen, but the business still fell short, with an "inadequate" food safety management system, "unsatisfactory" cleaning and unfinished repairs.

The council brought 10 food hygiene charges against Premanathan and a further 10 charges against VP & Sons.

He was fined £300 for each of the 20 counts and was ordered to pay £1,880 costs and a £120 victim surcharge.

Mark Watson, the council's cabinet member for safety and justice, said food producers have a "duty of care" to make sure their produce and methods are clean and safe.

"This restaurateur, despite a number of warnings from our food safety officers, failed to ensure that right and proper hygiene standards were in place, and that his staff were aware of their obligations; now he's paid the price in the eyes of the law."

source:www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/