The owner of a long-running family business has said he is "gutted" after it received a zero hygiene rating in its most recent inspection. Jewel Balti Indian restaurant on 368 Chepstow Road in Newport was given a zero hygiene score by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on January 11 this year, meaning urgent improvement is necessary at the business.
Newport City Council food hygiene inspectors visit businesses across the city on behalf of the FSA and record comments online alongside sharing a full report with each business and interested parties. Officers inspect hygienic food handling, which includes handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage.
The cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building - including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control - and management of food safety including system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future - are also looked at during an inspection. During their visit to Jewel Balti, officers found "urgent improvement necessary" across all three areas.
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Responding to the rating, owner Aktar Miah told WalesOnline he had not been part of the running of the business for around three years but had just taken over its operation when the inspection took place.
"This is a family business that has been here for 26 years. The place had not been looked after so I came back," he said. "I had just come back and closed the restaurant to carry out the renovations when the day after we got a visit from the environmental officers. They said they had gotten an anonymous tip-off."
Mr Miah said the business had been the victim of "bad management" in the run-up to its inspection and that maintenance and cleanliness had been "overlooked." He said when he tried to explain this and the fact the restaurant was being refurbished to inspectors, they were "adamant" and gave the business a zero rating.
Saying he was "gutted" to receive the score, Mr Miah added that renovations including new flooring and equipment had since been put in and that he was awaiting a new inspection, in which he hoped to get a five star rating.
"I am gutted that it has come to this. It looks so bad on the business. It's been there since 1996, I've spent about £60,000 [on renovations]. I am there sometimes 23 hours a day.
"The place is really close to my heart - I grew up there. I want to bring it back to its former glory."
