Shopkeeper's five-year ban for food hygiene breach

Inspectors found a cluttered storage space at Etin-Osa Afro-Caribbean Food

A shopkeeper has been banned from managing a food store for five years after her premises were found to have a toilet opening directly into a room where food was kept and handled.

During an inspection at Wolverhampton's Etin-Osa Afro-Caribbean Food, council officers found the shop was "dirty and in disrepair", with just one sink when it was supposed to have two separate units.

Owner Margaret Omo-Osagie pleaded guilty to 10 breaches of The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, including failure to keep the premises clean and ensuring food handlers were trained and supervised.

Ms Omo-Osagie, of Riches Street in the city, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday to four months in jail suspended for a year.

Council officers found that the Princess Street premises only had one sink, which was filthy

The lone sink at the Princess Street premises was found in a dirty condition. Legislation requires it to have two sinks for separate handwashing and equipment use.

The downstairs toilet opened directly into the cellar storeroom where food was kept and handled and there was no hand washing basin available for the toilet, inspectors said.

Hygiene breaches also included a failure to:

• Comply with seven Hygiene Improvement Notices

• Maintain the premises in good repair and condition

• Ensure that food handlers were supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters

• Put in place and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles

• Ensure the council had up-to-date information about the premises

The shopkeeper was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday

Councillor Craig Collingswood from City of Wolverhampton Council said: “This is a very unpleasant case where a city business owner has knowingly put customers at risk.

“Significant illnesses are caused by poor food hygiene and I am shocked by the lack of care shown by the defendant in the case."