07/05/2010 - Screw reveals firm's bad hygiene
A large metal screw found inside a burger has exposed "very poor" standards of hygiene at a food firm in Devon.
Health and safety officers at Bath & North East Somerset Council successfully prosecuted South Molton-based food producer Naturemade after a customer found the screw inside a tofu burger.
The council officials, as well as Environmental Health officers, checked over Naturemade's factory and found poor hygiene and several sources of "similar contaminants".
The firm's director, Vicky Barfield, attended court on Tuesday to receive a £1,500 fine, and was ordered to pay £250 costs and a £15 "victim support surcharge".
The council's Sue Green said: "Traders and manufacturers have a responsibility to make sure that any food they produce is safe for public consumption. Bath & North East Somerset Council is working with businesses in the area to give them advice and guidance on how to make sure the food they prepare is safe.
"However, where public safety is put at risk, for example through the contamination of food with dangerous foreign objects, the council will take strong action within the law to protect the public and prevent similar incidents from happening again."
Copyright © Press Association 2010
Related links
|
