14 May 2024 - Press Release – Restaurant Owner Sentenced for Food Law Breaches

On 10 May 2024, at Reading Magistrates’ Court, Mr Wai Tak Wu, trading as Szechuan Inn at 7 High Street, Thatcham, was sentenced after pleading guilty to two offences at an earlier hearing on the 22^nd March 2024, for selling and placing on the market food that was unsafe for people that are allergic to peanuts contrary to Regulation 19 (1) of The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and to section 14 (1) of the Food Safety Act 1990.

On or around 10 December 2022 a customer was sold a red curry with vegetables containing peanuts despite requesting that their meal be free from nuts which led to a serious allergic reaction. The matter was subsequently investigated by the Public Protection Partnership Shared Trading Standards Service.

Mr Tak Wu was sentenced to pay total fines and costs amounting to £4,272 which included a victim surcharge of £506 and a £2,500 contribution towards the prosecution costs. The Magistrates had taken the guilty plea into account when setting the fines.

Councillor Lee Dillon West Berkshire Council’s Executive Member for Public Protection said: “Food allergies can present serious risks to health, and it is vital that customers can feel confident when ordering food in restaurants and other food outlets. It is vital that all food outlets highlight food allergens.

Customer safety is a serious responsibility and this business fell short in this case. We always advise anyone who is eating out to check if any allergens may be present in their food.”

Anyone with concerns about the sale of unsafe food should contact Trading Standards on: 01635 519930 or e-mail: tsadvice@westberks.gov.uk.

Notes:

The Public Protection Partnership (PPP) is a shared service delivering Environmental Health, Licensing and Trading Standards to people and businesses on behalf of Bracknell Forest Council, and West Berkshire Council.

PPP work jointly with Wokingham Borough Council to provide a shared Trading Standards, Financial Investigation and Case Management Service across the three authority areas.

These services encompass a wide range of areas of responsibility from environmental protection to fair trading, food safety to animal health, housing standards to taxi licensing, and more.