Restaurant owner in Wales continued to serve food despite cockroach infestation

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Douglas Powell

It’s been 10 years since we were in Cardiff and my father’s home of Newport, Wales, and I felt strangely at home, but maybe it was the universal speak of food safety.

A cockroach infestation was discovered in the kitchen of a Cardiff takeaway by inspectors after the owner ignored a request to deep clean the restaurant.

Flame Grillhouse, in Clare Road, Riverside, was visited by food hygiene officers from Cardiff Council where they found dead and live cockroaches in the kitchen, preparation area and front service area.

Owner Mohammed Hussain was told by pest control contractors to close his business for the building to be deep cleaned but he failed to carry out the request and carried on trading.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard customers could have been at risk of salmonella, E. coli, and typhoid fever as a result of the infestation.

Prosecutor Nik Strobl said the business had initially been given a one star hygiene rating which had been upgraded to a three star rating in 2018.

Describing the incriminating inspection, the barrister said: “There was evidence of full life cycle cockroach infestation at the business. There were live and dead cockroaches found at various stages of maturity.”

He added that despite being told about the problem, Hussain failed to undertake cleaning of his business and continued to serve food in spite of the infestation.

After the discovery, the defendant agreed to voluntarily close the restaurant and on September 3, another inspection was carried which satisfied the officers the infestation had been eradicated.

The restaurant reopened on September and currently has a four star hygiene rating as of November 6, 2019.

Defence barrister William Bebb said his client fully accepted his culpability for the infestation and wished to apologise to the court.

Sentencing, Judge Niclas Parry said: “There would have been a serious risk of public health. Salmonella, E. coli and typhoid fever can all be caused when cockroaches and human consumption cross paths.

“The matter is aggravated by you paying lip service to your obligations and you ignoring more than one warning. You were aware there was an issue but you let it fester.”

Hussain was sentenced to four months imprisonment suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to carry out 80 hours unpaid work and to pay £750 in costs.

Chester restaurant infested with cockroaches

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Douglas Powell

David Holmes of Cheshire Live writes that owners of a popular Indian restaurant have been fined a total of £11,848 for food hygiene offences with live cockroaches seen running up the walls, across the floor and even over the inspectors’ feet.

Chester Foods Ltd trading as Barton Rouge, Granary Wharf, Steam Mill Street, Chester, Kashem Ali Tahid, 52, of Brooklands Road, Manchester and Mohammed Aamir Latif, 43, of Arbour Drive Manchester, the owners of Chester Foods Ltd, were convicted of food safety and hygiene offences at Chester Magistrates Court, on Thursday, July 25.

Regulatory services officers visited Barton Rouge on July 25, 2018, to undertake a routine food hygiene inspection and found evidence of a German cockroach infestation and poor standards of cleanliness throughout the premises.

The level of cockroach activity was such that officers saw live insects run up the walls, across the floor and over their feet when equipment was moved.

Everyone has a camera, Crazy Rich Asians edition, roaches in popcorn

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Douglas Powell

Darren Cartwright of The Courier Mail writes in the local paper (local being Brisbane) that the hit comedy Crazy Rich Asians turned out to be a real-life horror film for a young couple who allegedly discovered the movement in their popcorn was a “dirty, great big” cockroach.

Shaun Walsh and his partner Caitlin Rose were in the middle of enjoying the runaway success comedy at Birch Carroll and Coyle’s cinema complex at Morayfield on Saturday night when things went awry.

Mr Walsh said Ms Rose was eating the treat when the movie started and about half an hour later placed the container on the seat next to her.

When she went to retrieve more popcorn, some 20 minutes later, she heard “movement” in the popcorn.

“She jumped up and screamed a little bit and then jumped across me,” Mr Walsh told The Courier-Mail.

“I didn’t believe her at the start, so I turned my light on and here’s this dirty great big cockroach.

At least it was cooked: Australian bakery admits selling cockroach in loaf

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Douglas Powell

A Bakers Delight store in Brisbane has indicated that it will plead guilty to selling a loaf of bread with a cockroach in it, and six other breaches of the food laws.

Bakers Delight in Toombul shopping centre was charged with selling the loaf of omega 3 wholemeal with chia on March 7 last year.

Brisbane City Council officers laid the charges after customer Judith Davis allegedly found the roach in her loaf which was baked in-store.

Last week, Brisbane Magistrate’s Court was told the franchising company Bakers Delight Holdings intended to enter a plea of guilty when the case returned to court on October 20.

Health inspector Stephen Thomson alleges in his complaint filed in court that the store had an infestation of cockroaches in March 2015 and the owners “failed to prevent and remove” them.

German cockroaches invade filthy UK takeaway

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Douglas Powell

The owners of the Chick ‘N’ Spice takeaway were fined and the premises were closed after inspectors found an infestation of German cockroaches.

Ealing Council food safety officers found the cockroach infestation around a chest freezer in the takeaway, with evidence of adults, nymphs and egg casings.

The borough’s cabinet member for safety, culture and community services, Councillor Ranjit Dheer, said: “The vast majority of food outlets in Ealing comply with hygiene requirements.

“The council responded swiftly to tackle the serious and inexcusable hygiene breaches committed by Chick ‘N’ Spice, and had no hesitation closing the premises to protect public safety.”

Australian sushi restaurant fined $40,000

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Inspectors found cockroaches in the microwave and freezer at a sushi bar in Brighton, Melbourne, as well as mouldy, grimy surfaces and toxic pest control products near the soy sauce, leading to a $40,000 fine.

Owner Sarah Nguyen, 36, pleaded guilty to more than 30 charges for substandard practices at her sushi bar after it was raided following a customer complaint.

Council officers found unrefrigerated chicken, dirty conditions and sushi stored above regulated temperatures.

They cited 11 non-compliant inspections at the premises over 11 months, according to Nine News.

The Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court heard that Ms Nguyen kept the eatery in appalling conditions which posed a ‘public safety risk’.

As the sole proprietor, Nguyen will be footing the entire bill.

Fancy food ain’t safe food, Brisbane rock ‘n roll edition: ‘Live roaches inside the drinking straws’

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Douglas Powell

A trendy restaurant in Brisbane’s inner city which has been a magnet for rock ‘n’ roll types has admitted live cockroaches were running around its kitchen after pleading guilty to breaching food safety laws.

French-Vietnamese restaurant Libertine in The Barracks on Petrie Terrace was prosecuted in the Brisbane Magistrates Court and on February 5, admitted to eight breaches of food health laws in court that day.

The company, owned by Andrew Baturo, was fined $15,000.

Brisbane City Council’s Acting enforcement coordination manager Stephen Thomson told Magistrate Suzette Coates that he found more than a dozen live cockroaches and many more dead ones in 12 locations around the kitchen and pantry when he inspected on July 14, 2014.

He found “live cockroaches inside the drinking straws” kept under the stainless steel bench located on the right hand side of the kitchen near the door leading from the kitchen to the dining area.

Mr Thomson also found a dead cockroach inside a food preparation fridge, a live cockroach on the door steal of another fridge and a live adult cockroach on wall of the dry storage area.

‘Moral aversion to killing cockroaches’ not good enough for Australian restaurant

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Douglas Powell

The Canberra Times reports that four restaurants were shut down in the Australian Capital Territory in 2015 for posing an immediate public health risk.

It’s a dramatically lower number than 2014, when more than a dozen restaurants were shut down by health authorities after being hit with prohibition orders.

With the Health Protection Service performing a similar number of inspections each year, the directorate attributes the discrepancy to “better working relationships between restaurant owners and food regulators.”

ACT Health’s “name and shame” list shows that since 2011, 14 restaurants, cafes and fast food outlets in the ACT have been hit with fines totalling more than $86,000 for breaches of food safety standards.

In 2015, seven restaurants were added to the list when they were successfully prosecuted and fined for breaching the food standards code, ACT Health said.

That number does not correspond with the number of restaurants shut down, because it can be anywhere between one and three years before breaches discovered at inspection are finalised in court.

Among the eateries taken to court and fined for food safety breaches in 2015 were a vegetarian restaurant, sushi shop and a Thai restaurant, all for allowing cockroaches into food preparation areas.

Kingsland Vegetarian Restaurant was fined $16,000 in February for eight food safety breaches, two years after inspectors discovered the live and dead cockroaches in the kitchen of the northside eatery.

The owner said he had a moral aversion to killing cockroaches but later brought in a pest control team on a regular basis and had appointed a food safety supervisor.

A Woden sushi shop owner was also fined for safety breaches that put customers at risk, including cockroaches in the food preparation area and keeping the display cabinet too warm.

The proprietor of Lao Thai Kitchen in Holt before it closed allowed cockroaches to breed and die inside food tubs, on floors, walls and benches had to pay thousands of dollars in fines.

The restaurant

Out of 2929 registered food businesses, ACT Health inspected 2368 and issued 388 improvement notices, for June 2014-15.

That’s compared with 2851 registered food businesses between 2014-15 with 2171 inspections performed and 357 improvement notices issued.

Cockroach infestation shuts down cafeteria at California hospital

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Douglas Powell

The cafeteria at St. John’s Health Center – the fabled Santa Monica hospital – was shut down this week after a health inspector found a cockroach infestation in the kitchen, county health officials said.

At least 10 live cockroaches were found in the kitchen for the cafeteria, which is located on the second floor of the hospital in the 2100 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Officials at the Westside hospital expect to reopen the cafeteria Saturday, and in the meantime, patients’ visitors are being provided with a list of local restaurants, said Patricia Aidem, a hospital spokeswoman.

“Providence Saint John’s apologizes for the inconvenience to our visitors, physicians and staff and, while it’s difficult to control these natural occurrences, pledges continued diligence in ensuring cleanliness and safety,” the hospital chain said in a statement.

Founded by Roman Catholic nuns in 1942, St. John’s hospital has cared for celebrity patients such as Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and President Ronald Reagan.

Cockroach infested restaurant incurs hefty fines in Canberra

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Douglas Powell

The former owner of a northside Thai restaurant who let cockroaches infest his kitchen and appliances has been ordered to pay fines worth thousands of dollars.

Ben Thankum, the proprietor of Lao Thai Kitchen in Holt before it closed, allowed cockroaches to breed and die inside food tubs, on floors, walls and benches.

He was also charged with a failure to ensure clean surfaces, letting contaminated material spread in the kitchen and poor food storage procedures.

The restaurant was inspected by food safety officers in February 2014 who became concerned food sold at the shop would be unsafe for consumption.

Thankum appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday and was charged $2000 for each violation and ordered to pay court costs.

Court documents reveal the kitchen had fallen into disrepair with dead cockroaches left in dishwashing areas.

The documents also revealed food was stored in washing-up areas and sauces left on benches for eight hours at a time.

Ice buildup posed dangers in chest freezers with uncovered foods with exhaust fans clogged with grease.

Special magistrate Maria Doogan said the restaurant had since been sold and Thankum had begun working in a different occupation.

barfblog

safe food from farm to fork

Tag Archives: cockroach