Fishy hygiene failings cost Enfield sushi bar owner thousands

An Edmonton sushi bar owner has been ordered to pay out £3,550 after he admitted nine breaches of food hygiene laws.

Zhiqing Ye, 32, from Romford, who runs Super Sushi in The Concourse, Edmonton, pleaded guilty to nine breaches of Regulations 19 and 20 of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations, 2013 at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on 25 May. He was fined £2,000 ordered to pay costs of £1,500 and a Victim Surcharge of £50.

Ye was prosecuted by Enfield Council after inspectors found a wide range of hygiene failings.

Food safety officers from Enfield Council first inspected the premises on 16 August 2016 and identified a range of problems including a lack of hot water, fly and mice infestations and the risk of cross contamination of raw and ready to eat foods. As a result, the premises were closed down until 19 August when it had made improvements and addressed the issues identified by inspectors.

Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Daniel Anderson, said: “Enfield Council is building neighbourhoods which are clean, safe, well regulated, welcoming, cohesive and resilient and we are determined to support the owners of food businesses in this borough to help make them a success.

“However, it is incredibly important the businesses act in accordance follow hygiene laws to protect the public from the risk of harm.

“We think it is reasonable and proportionate to expect good house-keeping from our food establishments and we regularly inspect restaurants and takeaways to make sure they comply with the law.

“In those cases where that is not the case we will take appropriate enforcement action and prosecute where necessary.”