A company has shown that it may be able to benefit from using compliance software to help it stick to food safety rules.
Recently, Mid Staffordshire magistrates fined takeaway manager Shafique Ali £2,000 and ordered him to pay costs after finding him guilty of four breaches under food hygiene regulations between April and August of this year.
He was convicted of putting customers at risk of food poisoning, which is a condition that affects tens of thousands of people each year in the UK.
The 38-year-old is the manager of Bengal Spice in Gnosall near Stafford.
One of the pieces of equipment the manager may want to invest in to ensure such a slip does not occur again is a temperature sensor.
Environmental health officers had found he left bowls of cooked rice out of a fridge for five hours. In addition, he had stored raw meat above fresh yoghurt.
Meanwhile, the kitchen floor and walls were also found to be dirty.
Commenting on the case, Simon Turner acting on behalf of the council said: “Leaving the bowls of rice to cool at room temperature for five hours presents a risk of a growth of toxins which could lead to severe food poisoning issues.”
He added: “That was in April and environmental health officer Helga Gray returned in August. She found Mr Ali had made little effort to comply with the advice, with coriander left in a hand wash basin and pans with food inside being stored on the floor.”
Meanwhile, councillor Stan Highfield went on to note that there will continued monitoring of the premises to ensure improvements are made.
Many restaurants and other businesses find they benefit from using compliance software and having equipment like a temperature sensor so that they do not accidentally contravene health and safety laws and face prosecution.