Around 200kg of unfit food has been seized from The Dorset Smokery and destroyed by Public Health Officers from Christchurch and East Dorset Councils.
Following a tip-off the officers obtained a warrant to enter the premises in Hurn Court Lane near Bournemouth Airport on Wednesday 24 February 2016. There they found meat, poultry, dairy products, olives and pate which were mouldy or past their use-by date which they seized.
They also saw that a vacuum packing machine was being used for both smoked and raw food which could cause contamination. The food which had been through the machine was therefore unfit for human consumption and was also seized. Although there were other vacuum packing machines on the premises they were broken.
The seized food was kept in a freezer lorry until Monday 29 February when the owner of The Dorset Smokery, Todd Sadler, appeared before a judge at Bournemouth Magistrates Court. The judge agreed that the food did not comply with the food safety requirements of the Food Safety Act 1990 and ordered the councils’ officers to destroy the food. Mr Sadler was also ordered to pay the councils’ costs of £750.
Steve Duckett, Head of Housing & Health at Christchurch & East Dorset Councils, said: “The food that we seized could have caused health problems to anyone who ate it so we were pleased that the judge agreed with our actions. We will be working with the owner of The Dorset Smokery now to ensure that he improves his food safety standards.”
