Shop owners fined for selling rotten produce

Mohammad Haleem and Mohammed Rahim admitted ten breaches of EU marketing standards for fresh horticultural produce at Bradford Magistrates’ Court last week.

The offences related to three displays of grapes, Golden Rose apples and apricots, affected by soiling, bruising and rot respectively.

Cherries, lychees, peaches, oranges, two varieties of onions and spinach displayed without the required country of origin. The grapes were also incorrectly labelled.

Offences were found following an investigation by the Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI).

Haleem and Rahim were each fined £1,200 and ordered to pay costs of £360 and a victims’ surcharge of £240.

Paul Caldwell, Rural Payments Agency and operations director, said the prosecution followed a series of visits over 16 months.

“Between August 2012 and November 2013, the store failed ten successive visits from inspectors where advice and guidance was offered, but inspections found persistent poor quality and inadequate labelling.”​