Food firm fined £44k after illegally re-wrapping livers and hearts
A controversial Romanian food company has been fined after it put meats including chicken hearts and gizzards on the market illegally and also distributed potentially unhygienic goods.
Rugeley-based POE Limited, which is behind a contentious plan for a rabbit farm in Gnosall, Stafford, has along with its director been slapped with a £44,000 court bill after being prosecuted by Cannock Chase District Council for breaching food hygiene regulations.
Environmental health inspector Aine O’Brien visited the premises at Towers Business Park and found foods including chicken livers, hearts and gizzards were being re-wrapped illegally because the company did not have a council-approved meat handling licence.
The authority discovered the firm were splitting up large packs of meat into smaller ones and then reapplying the original suppliers’ label before distributing them to retailers throughout Britain.
Other foods including meat-filled cabbage leaf rolls and meat patties were also being prepared for distribution despite not being manufactured in a hygienic manner.
A total of 160kg of goods deemed ‘potentially unsafe’ were seized and destroyed. The council released images showing dozens of trays of meat piled up unceremoniously.
Appearing before magistrates in Cannock this month, POE Ltd and company director Calin Poanariu each pleaded guilty to three offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations, including the use of an unapproved premises, illegal production and placing on the market of meat-based products, and applying false labels which used the legitimate supplier’s approval number.
The company also admitted to three further offences of failing to provide hand washing facilities, failing to ensure suitable layout and design of the premises and failing to put in place suitable food hygiene procedures.
Fines and costs totalling £35,720 were imposed on the company and £8,143 on Mr Poenariu.
David Prosser-Davies, food, safety and licensing manager at the council, said: “We have a proud record of helping local food businesses to comply with legislation."
“Unfortunately, on this occasion our advice was not followed and serious offences were committed. Food businesses which do not comply with legislation not only put the public at risk through consumption of unsafe foods, they also gain an unfair competitive advantage over businesses which do make efforts to comply.”
The E&S tried to contact POE Limited, but they were unavailable for comment.
