Food labelling: ‘£6,000 for life threatening labelling offence’

As reported in Environmental Health News online:

‘£6,000 for life threatening labelling offence’

A London-based cash and carry has been fined £6,000 for selling almond mix powder that contained peanut.

Environmental Health Officers from Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s prosecuted Soms Uddin Shahin and Sima Enterprise Limited of Newham for food labelling and Food Information Regulation offences.

The accused were found to have risked the lives of customers after applying an ‘almond mix powder’ food label onto a 10kg box of ‘peanut and almond mix’ product and selling it to a Southend restaurant in December 2015.

EHOs discovered the anomaly when carrying out a national sampling programme funded by the Food Standards Agency.

A sampling officer visited a local restaurant in October 2015 and purchased a ‘peanut-free’ chicken passanda for analysis. This showed that the nut content of the meal was almost entirely derived from peanut rather than almond.

Analysis of the sample taken from the product showed there was more than two thirds peanut protein and less than one third almond protein in it. The restaurant that ordered the box of almond powder was oblivious to its peanut content.

Read the full article from EHN at: £6,000 for life threatening labelling offence

Related links:

Environmental Health News

Southend on Sea Borough Council