The proprietor of a seafront fudge and chocolate shop has been fined £1,050 for serious breaches in food hygiene regulations (Photos on Flickr).
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Lucy Gillian Kappes, owner of From Love to Fudge at 31 Foreshore Road, Scarborough, was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £450 and a £105 victim surcharge after she pleaded guilty to three food hygiene offences* at Scarborough Magistrates Court on Friday 1 February, relating to the cleanliness of the premises, the fittings and equipment; and the potential for food contamination.
Scarborough Borough Council brought the prosecution after a follow-up visit to From Love to Fudge – which prepares and sells chocolate, fudge and other confectionery – by a council environmental health officer, Sarah Brown, to check compliance for issues outstanding from a previous food hygiene inspection including structural and cleaning requirements.
During the inspection on 5 November 2012 she found conditions relating to the standard of cleanliness in the food preparation room were extremely poor and completely unacceptable for a commercial food business, with magistrates told in detail of the “appalling state” witnessed during her visit.
The court heard how the floor surface in the food preparation room was in a very dirty condition with accumulations of dirt, debris, food waste and old packaging, with the walls also dirty with dried-on food debris, dirt and grease. The floor and wall coverings in the food preparation room were also damaged in some areas leaving surfaces which were incapable of being effectively cleaned.
Various equipment included the cooker, external surfaces of the fridge, bain-marie, food preparation surfaces, shelving used to store food, scales, bowls, pans, food storage boxes and food packaging used in the preparation and cooking and storage of food products were heavily contaminated with new and old food particles, including chocolate, the ingredients used to make fudge, food colourings, grease and dirt.
The electric fly killer was full of flies and dirty. A batch of unwrapped fudge was balanced on top of some packaging in the food preparation room and dirty step ladders were in direct contact with the food.
Scarborough Borough Council Health and Community Safety Manager, Steve Pogson, said: “This was a clear breach of the food hygiene legislation which is in place to protect the public. Food businesses are responsible for ensuring their premises are kept clean and maintained in good repair and condition to ensure they produce food in a safe and hygienic manner and in a clean environment.
“Poor levels of cleanliness are not acceptable and we will take action against those who do not comply with this basic hygiene requirement.”
