A Southall food importer and distributor has been ordered to pay nearly £10,000 for failing to comply with safety checks on potentially toxic foods it brought into the country.
Last month (3 January 2025), Al Noor Ltd was taken to Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court where the court heard that it failed to notify port authorities in Suffolk about a shipment of spice mixes from Pakistan it received in May 2022.
According to Ealing Council, the import by Al Noor Ltd did not undergo legally required checks and the business based in Johnson Street had “intentionally obstructed authorised officers carrying out compliance checks”.
At the court hearing, both the company and its director Ahmed Akhlaq, of Parlaunt Road, Slough, pleaded guilty to the unauthorised removal of goods, and failing to comply with an official notice.
Al Noor Ltd was ordered to pay a fine, victim surcharge, and costs which totalled £9,424, while Mr Akhlaq was ordered to pay a total of £3,285, for the two offences.
The import contained spices from Pakistan which were classified as high risk due to potential contamination with aflatoxins which can be poisonous and life threatening by ingesting them.
Shipments of these imported spices must be sampled and importers are required to notify ports of any incoming shipments which Al Noor Ltd had not done.
According to Ealing Council, the shipment was removed from the port without checks taking place and by doing so it became an illegally imported consignment of food which should have been destroyed.
Following notification by Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority, Ealing Council’s food safety team ordered the business to destroy the products within 60 days.
During a compliance check in July 2022, officers discovered that more than half of the shipment was missing and unaccounted for and Al Noor Ltd was given 24 hours to locate and present the entire shipment.
The council said that a follow-up inspection discovered boxes had been relabelled and repacked in what was considered to be an attempt to disguise the contents.
While the products were eventually disposed of, the business only did so eight days after the 60-day deadline had expired.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “Obstructing food safety officers is a very serious offence and is not taken lightly by the council. The consequences for the business’ customers in this case could have been grave if council officers had not stepped in to enforce the law.”
Councillor Nagpal added: “We are pleased that the court’s fine reflects the gravity of the case. We will always seek the strongest possible punishments for companies which gamble with the public’s safety.”
Laurence Jarrold, technical specialist for the Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority (SCPHA) commented: “We are pleased to see this successful prosecution. The products were not declared as required at the UK Border and therefore were not assessed by under the required import controls. Without Ealing Council’s assistance, this could have led to unchecked high-risk products with significant potential health risks being placed on the market, posing a risk to consumers.”
Mr Jarrold added: “This is a great example of successful joint working with environmental health colleagues. This collaborative effort has successfully safeguarded UK public health, which remains our top priority.”
