Cash and carry ordered to pay £6,000 for selling “almond mix” that was mainly peanut

November 28, 2016 by Southend Borough Council

Cash and carry ordered to pay £6,000 for selling “almond mix” that was mainly peanut

Friday 25th November 2016

A London-based cash and carry that risked lives by mislabelling food, thereby concealing its allergenic peanut content, has been ordered to pay over £6,000 fines and costs by Southend Magistrates Court.

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s Environmental Health Department brought the prosecution case against Mr Soms Uddin Shahin and Sima Enterprise Limited of Newham.

The defendants pleaded guilty to applying an “almond mix powder” food label onto a 10kg box of “peanut and almond mix” product and selling it to a Southend restaurant in December 2015.

The Council’s Environmental Health Department discovered the anomaly when carrying out a national sampling programme funded by the Food Standards Agency.

A sampling officer visited a local restaurant in October 2015 and purchased a “peanut-free” chicken passanda for analysis. This showed that the nut content of the chicken passanda was almost entirely derived from peanut rather than almond.

Analysis of the sample taken from the product showed there was more than two thirds peanut protein and less than one third almond protein in it. The restaurant that ordered the box of almond powder was oblivious to its peanut content.

Cllr Flewitt, Executive Councillor for Housing, Planning and Public Protection Services, said:

“Southend’s environmental health team’s food sampling shone light on what was effectively a ticking time bomb. As around five in every 10,000 people in the UK are thought to have a peanut allergy, there’s no knowing how many people this intervention has spared from sickness or even death.

“This prosecution – and the size of the fine and costs ordered by the court – reflects the severity of the offence. It sends a clear message to reckless operators within the food industry that imperilling the lives of the public bears a hefty price.”

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s Environmental Health Officers advises local food businesses about food allergen labelling requirements on food products.

Captions:
Photographs of the offending mislabelled consignment and Cllr Flewitt outside Southend Magistrates Court are available for download from our Flickr account: https://flic.kr/s/aHskPsF4S8