Roundhay Road Leeds food wholesaler fined £10k for 'failing to prevent food contamination' or 'control pests'

Fines and costs totalling £9,295.30 were issued to GSL Wholesalers LTD on Roundhay Road for repeated breaches of the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations (2013), following a successful investigation by the city council’s environmental health team.

The company pleaded guilty to four offences at Huddersfield Magistrates Court, leading to the magistrates imposing a £4,000 fine and imposing further charges of £ 5,295.30 in costs.

An investigation was launched after a visit to the premises by council agents in August 2021, which resulted in officers serving the business with a Hygiene Improvement Notice requiring adequate procedures to be put in place to control pests.

The prosecution was triggered by a revisit in September 2021, which found GSL Wholesalers LTD had not made the required adjustments and were still committing several contraventions of food safety legislation, such as failing to prevent food contamination likely to render food unfit for human consumption.

Councillor Mohammed Rafique, executive member for environment and housing, said: “To protect public health, it is vital that food businesses are kept clean, in good repair, have all the necessary facilities, and have effective food management practices in place. Prosecution is only a last resort if the team are unable to work proactively with businesses to resolve issues that arise.”

Similar contraventions of food hygiene legislation were committed by the premises in 2015, for which the operator was also prosecuted for and pled guilty to.