£250 fine for selling out-of-date sausages at north Hull shop
A FORMER shop owner has been prosecuted for selling food that was weeks out of date.
Mahoob Hussain admitted selling three packs of Matteson smoked pork sausages, a Wall's Cornish pasty and a Rustlers flame-grilled chicken sandwich after the use-by dates.
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The food was sold at Price Crunch in Cottingham Road, north Hull. The shop is now under new ownership.
City councillor John Hewitt, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and communities, said: "This prosecution shows our commitment to protecting the public against businesses who break the law.
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"Our trading standards and food safety team work very hard to tackle those who put the safety of the public at risk and we will continue to take action against them."
Officers from Hull City Council's trading standards department visited the shop in April, when they found out-of-date food on the shelves.
Hussain was warned and given advice about the laws for selling products.
However, when officers visited the shop again on May 25, they found ten items which were out of date.
As well as the sausages, pasty and sandwich, there were three packs of cheese that had a use-by date of April 19 on them.
There were also two packets of strawberries that had gone mouldy. They had a best-before date of May 21.
The sausages were a week out of date.
Chris Wilson, city trading standards manager, said: "Businesses have to meet food safety regulations and by selling out of date food, it could pose a risk to the consumer and cause food poisoning.
"Manufacturers provide a use-by date to ensure food is safe within that time period as well as carryout various test on foods in order to ensure its safe shelf life.
"If a trader knowingly sells out-of-date food then our trading standards team will always investigate and, where necessary, will take formal enforcement action."
Hussain, 46, of Leeds, admitted breaching the Food Labelling Regulations Act by selling food after its use-by date.
He said: "There were a few out-of-date items but it was an accident.
"They hadn't been out of date for long.
"Nobody does this sort of thing on purpose. It was only once and it was an accident.
"I sold the shop a while ago and I hope this doesn't affect their business, because it is nothing to do with them now."
Hussain was fined £250 and must pay £250 in council costs and a £15 victims' surcharge.
Anyone who wishes to contact the city council's trading standards team should call 01482 300300.
Comments
by Sensational
Friday, January 04 2013, 10:35PM
“Ha Bruce, you're a cracker!”
by allwaysred1
Friday, January 04 2013, 7:15PM
“SHOULD HAVE... BANGER ..ED..,,,,,HIM UP......FOR TELLING PORKYS..”
by troyr4321
Friday, January 04 2013, 11:58AM
“Good luck to the new owners (his wife, cousin, brother, son, uncle, father, auntie, daughter, nephew, niece or mother in law ect.) Or maybe he has used one of his other names and kept it.”
by Millvi
Friday, January 04 2013, 9:14AM
“@ruby1989 - Trading Standards staff have a wider brief than just looking for food offered for sale past its USE BY date.
I do the same as you and reach to the back of the shelves for the longest date possible, every single time. However, with many more people on a tight budget the reduced price food is a real temptation.”
by ruby1989
Thursday, January 03 2013, 9:44PM
“Is it just me that checks the use by date on all food before I buy it? The mouldy strawbs may have been on display but who really would have bought them, let alone eaten them? As for meat, you'd have to be a complete moron not to look at the date, cheese is fine - just cut the mould off like the manufacturers do before they package it.
HDM always like to run stories about Hull CC cuts & redundancies - how much are these trading standards people paid? The council cannot possibly justify the salaries of people whose sole aim seems to be to trick shopkeepers into selling out of date stuff to ... erm ... themselves, taking the shopkeeper to court and reporting it in the local news.
I know where I would start if I was in charge of cuts at the council!”
by harry_offdock
Thursday, January 03 2013, 8:57PM
“Was the pork sausage Halal I wonder?”
by dontwo
Thursday, January 03 2013, 8:19PM
“Another dirty b@stard given "warnings", but still allowed to sell his poisoned wares to unsuspecting mugs like us.
Why do they think guys like this try selling bad food in the first place. Are the authorities so naive to understand, that its because they have no respect for our health and are money money obsessed.
The authorities can give as many warnings as they like,but these filth pedlars are unable to comprehend, and dont take a whiff of notice if they see the further given chance of making a couple of quid regardless of the risk to life.
Him and the rest of the poison merchants should be closed down at the very beginning.
This useless portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and communities ought to stop playing with our lives and be made to eat Mahoobs sausage. Maybe that will give him the guts to stop this softly softly approach to these growing number of "businesses" allowed to crop up and those who are willing to cause us real harm in the name of profit profit.”
by bazza_12
Thursday, January 03 2013, 7:01PM
“why not just give the food away?”
by Danepark
Thursday, January 03 2013, 2:43PM
“Ive got a 2012 calendar thats out of date”
by winegumdaze
Thursday, January 03 2013, 1:03PM
“Mr Hussain said"""" I sold the shop a while ago and i hope this doesnt affect the business, because the new owner is very strong and will pull the quilt of me on very cold nights in bed....My dear wife gets her amazing strength of her grandmother who was known as Big nan popeye of the Punjab she wrestle the sacred Punjab yeti for fun ...........but thats another lie i am telling the public..”