Southall firm pays the price for hazardous sweets

The imported jelly confectionery, called Pran Pudding, was found to contain a gelling agent banned in the UK, because it has the potential to cause choking.

“In this case, the sweets were supposed to turn to liquid in one bite but instead remained solid,”​ said the council in a statement.

LB Enterprises – based in Southall, west London, was one of five facing court action at the same time as a result of a food safety crackdown by the council.

Cockroach infestation​

The others were all foodservice operators. A branch of Pizza Hut Delivery of South Road was closed for a week by food hygiene inspectors because of a cockroach infestation, because has been allowed to reopen. It faced £890 of legal costs.

The owners of Woody Grill kebab and burger restaurant in Acton were fined £2000 following prosecution for four separate hygiene offences in April this year.

Moti Mahal, of The Broadway, Southall and Arian, of The Mall in Ealing, were both ordered to pay the council’s legal costs following temporary closures after pest infestations were discovered.

Mouse infestation​

And Essence Restaurants, Moti Mahal’s operator, was ordered to pay £600.72 council legal fees for a mouse infestation.

“Food safety officers have to be so vigilant these days not just to poor hygiene standards; they also need to be alert to the ingredients present in food to make sure that potentially harmful additives don’t slip through the net,”​ said Ealing’s deputy leader and cabinet member for community services and safety, councillor Ranjit Dheer.

“In the case of Quality Foods, whose products contained banned gelling agents, it’s just sheer luck that nobody choked as a result of eating the sweets.”​