The owner of a Harlech restaurant has been fined £3,500 by magistrates for various food hygiene offences.
 |
| [relatedPosts title=”Related Posts”] |
|
|
On 25 April 2013, Mr Steven John Tang, the owner of the Golden Inn Restaurant in Harlech, pleaded guilty to 13 food hygiene offences at Dolgellau magistrates court.
The case was brought forward by Gwynedd Council’s Public Protection Service, after an Environmental Health Officer discovered the business was operating in unhygienic conditions.
The officer discovered inadequate controls to prevent cross contamination, poor standards of cleanliness, poor structural repair as well as poor practices in relation to personal hygiene.
Mr Tang was also found guilty of failing to implement a documented Food Safety Management System within the business. He was fined a total of £3,500 and ordered to pay costs of £500.
At the hearing in Dolgellau, the Chairman of the Magistrates, Alun Pugh stated that “[the court] were horrified with the condition of the kitchen”.
Ffion Wyn Hewson, Gwynedd Council Public Protection Manager – Food Safety, said:
“As a Council, we have a duty to protect the safety of Gwynedd residents and people visiting the area. Businesses have to understand the responsibility they have in preparing and / or manufacturing food safely as well as the consequences if something goes wrong.
“In this case, the business had been given all possible assistance by the Council. The contraventions noted during the inspection and the history of poor compliance with food hygiene requirements meant that we as an authority had to take the appropriate course of action.”
Councillor John Wyn Williams, Gwynedd Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for public protection matters added:
“The majority of the county’s businesses maintain high standards within their premises. Indeed, 84% of Gwynedd businesses that fall within the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme have a score of ‘4’ or ‘5’ which classes them as being ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’.
“The Council always prefer to work with businesses to enable them to achieve a good food rating score. From 1 November 2013, it will be a legal requirement for all food businesses throughout Wales o display their food hygiene score in a prominent position within the business.
“When the new regulations comer into place, food businesses who have a total disregard for food safety will not only have to be concerned about potential enforcement action but also from a possible reduction in customers as inevitably they will be visiting business with a better food hygiene rating.”
