A Newport shop, its director and manager were sentenced yesterday for 26 offences of selling food past the expiry date and one offence in relation to a misleading label.
Berzan LMT trading as Newport Foodway Supermarket, director Ali Ceylan and manager Aydin Atmali pleaded guilty to all 27 offences at an earlier hearing.
Berzan LMT, of Clytha Park Road, was fined £16,000, ordered to pay costs of £800 and a surcharge of £190.
Ceylan, aged 36, of Britten Place, Biggleswade, was given a 12-month community order for 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £800 and a surcharge of £95.
At an earlier hearing, Atmali, aged 43, of Lansdowne Road, Newport, also received a 12-month community order for 180 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £800.
Newport City Council’s trading standards team received a complaint in April 2021 from a customer who said they had bought out-of-date food from the supermarket and suffered food poisoning after eating it.
An initial inspection found six products past their use-by date. The owner and manager agreed to close the store immediately and remove any items that were past the expiry date.
However, the following week, trading standards officers visited the store again and found 47 items with expired use-by dates and honey that had wrongly been described as organic.
On a further visit to the store in February this year another 3 food items were discovered with expired use by dates.
Councillor James Clarke, cabinet member for strategic planning, regulation and housing, said: “Shops have a responsibility to make sure that what they sell is safe and does not pose a risk to the health of their customers. Most take that responsibility seriously, but we will take action against those who do not.
“This business showed a blatant disregard for their customers and went on selling food items past their use-by date even after our first inspection and warning.
“I’m pleased the magistrates recognised the seriousness of the offences and I hope this prosecution sends out a strong message that food safety must be given absolute priority.”
