£5,000 food hygiene fine for Stockton takeaway owner
The owner of a takeaway in Stockton, which was described by food hygiene inspectors as being “filthy”, has been fined more than £5,000.
After visiting the Hui restaurant on Norton Road as part of a routine inspection in November 2012, environmental health officers from Stockton Council uncovered a number of worrying problems, including:
- Raw meat stored next to ready-to-eat food products
- A cooking range, shelves, fridge and utensils that were very dirty
- Pork thrown in a sink used for washing dishes
- Staff not handling food products in a hygienic way, suggesting that general food hygiene training levels were poor
After pleading guilty to eight food hygiene breaches in Teesside Magistrates’ Court, the Hui takeaway’s owner Jinuy Li was ordered to pay £4,000 in fines.
The business owner, who also works as a chef in the takeaway restaurant, was also ordered to pay £1,166 in court costs.
Defending Mr Li, Sarah Lish confirmed that the Hui restaurant had now made the required improvements to food hygiene standards. She said:
“Mr Li has always accepted there were failings in hygiene standards at the business.
“It’s fair to say that Mr Li has undertaken the required action in order to bring the food business up to standard.”