Restaurant supplied with peanut powder labelled as almond
The prosecution case against Soms Uddin Shahin and Sima Enterprise of Newham was brought by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s Environmental Health Department.
The defendants pleaded guilty to applying an “almond mix powder” label onto a 10kg box of “peanut and almond mix” and selling it to a Southend restaurant in December 2015.
The discovery was made as part of a national sampling programme funded by the Food Standards Agency.
A sampling officer purchased a “peanut-free” chicken passanda in October 2015.
Analysis of the sample showed there was more than two thirds peanut protein and less than one third almond protein.
The restaurant, named by local media as The Masoom Restaurant in Thorpe Bay, that ordered the box of almond powder did not know about the peanut content.
Mark Flewitt, executive councillor for Housing, Planning and Public Protection Services, said the sampling shone light on a ‘ticking time bomb’.
“As around five in every 10,000 people in the UK are thought to have a peanut allergy, there’s no knowing how many people this intervention has spared from sickness or even death.
“This prosecution - and the size of the fine and costs ordered by the court - reflects the severity of the offence. It sends a clear message to reckless operators within the food industry that imperilling the lives of the public bears a hefty price.”
