Leeds food wholesaler fined £4,000 for failing to prevent contamination after long investigation

Fines and costs totalling £9295.30 were issued to GSL Wholesalers LTD, located on Roundhay Road, following a successful investigation by Leeds City Council’s environmental health team.

The company pled guilty to four individual offences at Huddersfield Magistrates court following an extensive investigation by council officers.

An investigation was launched after a visit to the premises by environmental health enforcement 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 to the premises in September 2021, which found GSL Wholesalers LTD had not made the required adjustments and were still committing several contraventions of food safety legislation.

This included failing to prevent food contamination likely to render food unfit for human consumption, inspectors found.

The business was charged with and pled guilty to breaching Retained Regulation (EC) 852 / 2004 and Regulations 19 & 6 (2) of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 on four separate counts, leading to the magistrates imposing a £4000 fine and imposing further charges of £5295.30 in costs and £190 in victim surcharges.

Similar contraventions of food hygiene legislation were also found during previous visits to the premises in 2015, for which the operator was also prosecuted for and pled guilty to.

Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for environment and housing, said: “All food businesses in Leeds are regularly inspected by Environmental Health Officers on a risk-basis to check their compliance with legislation all food businesses must follow, and which are designed to protect food safety and public health.

“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.

“I would like to thank the environmental health enforcement agents for their hard work in prosecuting this case, they have carried out vital work ensuring public safety across Leeds.”