Inspectors found rodent droppings, mouldy food and restricted substances at a Cardiff shop. Environmental health officers visiting the Dragon Supermarket at Wholesale Fruit Centre on Bessemer Road, Leckwith, saw a pallet of rice contaminated with rodent urine and rodent faeces.
The inspection in August 2021 also noticed gaps which "allowed access into the premises by pests". A Cardiff Council spokesman said: "There was no water supply to the premises for cleaning or for the maintenance of personal hygiene."
The shop, managed by 41-year-old Yu Liang Chen, was supplying products of animal origin to another business without approval. It was also failing to follow its own food safety management procedures.
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"On a visit on September 10, 2021, it was established that there had been a change in the legal ownership of the business to Asia Capital Hypermarket Limited, also under the management of Yu Liang Chen," said the council spokesman. Chen had not told the council about the change of business ownership.
Crabs were being stored out of temperature control and areas of the premises were found to be in a dirty condition. Inspectors served an action notice but when they visited almost three weeks later they found "large amounts of mouldy foods" in the chiller. There was also dirty food equipment and the business was not implementing food safety management systems.
Chen was renting out another site, 60 Cowbridge Road East in Riverside, to David Weeks, a 31-year-old who ran a company called Interdragon International Trading, which imported pre-packed foods that had been produced in China. In March last year, environmental health officers found "several foods that did not have English language labelling" at a premises in Portsmouth. It later became clear that Interdragon International Trading had supplied the goods.
"The use of a translation app indicated the presence of konjac [a restricted root vegetable] in jelly mini-cups, which is known to be non-permitted as it can make the food a choking hazard for small children," said the Cardiff Council spokesman. "In addition, the lack of food information in English meant that consumers might not be aware of the presence of any ingredient that they cause a possible fatal allergic reaction of which they may have an intolerance."
Officers later found that Weeks had placed durian cake and Chongqing hotpot on the market "with no clear reference to the name of the substance or product". He had also failed to put in place procedures to avoid food safety hazards.
Chen, of Cowbridge Road East, pleaded guilty to eight food safety offences on her own behalf, four on behalf of Dragon Supermarket, and four on behalf of Asia Capital Hypermarket, which was based at 48-50 Cowbridge Road East. And Weeks, of Baglan Street in Treorchy, admitted four food safety offences.
District Judge David Webster fined Chen £2,000 and her companies £1,000 each. She was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,000 and a victim services surcharge of £800. She must pay at a rate of £30 per week.
Weeks was fined £500 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £400 and a victim services surcharge of £200. He must pay at a rate of £10 per week. You can read more of the latest Welsh court news here.
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