A British retailer has been fined after admitting displaying rotten and incorrectly labelled fruit and vegetables for sale in his store.
Sadaqad Ali, 44, who owns Haji Food Store, in Birkby, Huddersfield, admitted 14 offences of breaching EU marketing standards for fresh horticultural produce when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (13 February).
Inspectors working for the Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI), part of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), visited the shop in May last year. On 2 May they identified seven products that were not compliant with rules relating to quality and labelling.
A further seven offences were identified on 22 May during another inspection at the store. These visits followed a number of separate inspections made over a 12-month period where inspectors had provided regular guidance to Ali to help him understand and meet the requirements of the regulations.
Among the fruit and vegetables in question were rotten red onions, strawberries, cucumbers, spinach and carrots; shrivelled apples; and sweet peppers, mushrooms, apples and melons which did not have a country or origin on their labels.
As a result of the breaches, Ali was fined £100 for each of the 14 counts and ordered to pay £1,000 contribution to costs and a £20 victim surcharge.
RPA operations director Paul Caldwell, said: “This is just part of the wide range of work that RPA undertakes to protect consumers.
“Customers should have trust and confidence that they get what they pay for when handing over their money. Fresh produce should be good quality and labelled accurately and the HMI work is very important in ensuring that these standards are maintained.
“Prosecution is a last resort and we always try to gain compliance with quality and labelling regulations through targeted advice, guidance and instruction.'
