London, Aug 15 (PTI) The Indian-origin director of a food business based in Wolverhampton, central England, has been fined over GBP 7,000 after failing to comply with food hygiene regulations.

Mandeep Singh, director of Chatha Fresh Food Limited on Cross Street in Bilston, had pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 – for failing to have adequate procedures in place to control pests and for failing to protect food against contamination likely to render the food unfit for human consumption.

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Earlier this month, a Wolverhampton court fined Singh GBP 667 and ordered him to pay full costs of GBP 6,638 and a victim surcharge.

The City of Wolverhampton Council found Chatha Fresh Food Limited, a national supplier of ready-to-eat foods, had been trading under unhygienic conditions with evidence of mouse activity within part of the premises.

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During a routine inspection of the premises in April last year, the local council's environmental health officers found an active mouse infestation.

The inspection also found that food packaging and a walk-in chiller where food was being stored were contaminated with mice droppings. A live mouse was also caught in a trap within the same walk-in chiller.

“Poor food hygiene can cause significant illness, and this business owner has knowingly put his customers at risk,” said Councillor Craig Collingswood, cabinet member for environment and climate change at the City of Wolverhampton Council.

“This shows a shocking lack of care and responsibility, and I hope other businesses take note of the court's judgement in this case. Our environmental health officers work very hard to protect residents and consumers and I hope this sends out a strong message to food businesses that we take food hygiene very seriously in Wolverhampton,” he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)