The company Director of Gurnos Pizza Grill Ltd, Unal Cetin, pleaded guilty to nine food hygiene offences at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court on 21st January 2026. The nine breaches under the Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations 2006, included poor management to control cross contamination risks, which can lead to food poisoning.
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council’s Environmental Health Officers conducted an unannounced food hygiene inspection of the business in January 2025, where poor standards of food hygiene were observed. Procedures to control cross contamination were inadequate, staff were not trained in food hygiene, and basic food safety management procedures were not being followed as required by law. This resulted in the business being issued a Food Hygiene Rating of 1. Officers returned to the business two weeks later, but standards had deteriorated with further evidence of poor cross contamination control; one of the main causes of food poisoning in the UK.
Food businesses are required to have robust procedures in place to protect the health of consumers. A total financial penalty of £12,000 was imposed by the Court given the seriousness of the offences.
Councillor Declan Sammon, Cabinet Member for Transformation, Governance & Social Partnership, said: “Food businesses have a clear legal duty to ensure the food they sell is safe. In this case, officers identified serious failures in basic food hygiene practices that posed a risk to public health. The substantial fine imposed by the Court reflects the seriousness of the offences and serves as a warning to all businesses that poor food hygiene standards will not be tolerated.”
