Macclesfield food operator convicted

A Macclesfield food operator has been prosecuted on two charges relating to food hygiene offences.

Abdul Sami Nazari, 37, of Sefton Road, Sale, a food business operator who runs Chicken@Gios and Gio’s Pizza, two neighbouring food business on Sunderland Street, in Macclesfield, was convicted at Crewe Magistrates Court for the offences.

Nazari was fined £670 on each charge for hygiene failures after Cheshire East Council’s environmental health team uncovered a number of breaches during visits made last year.

Nazari pleaded guilty to both charges and was fined £1,340 in total. He was also ordered to pay costs of £1,526 and a victim surcharge of £67.

Cheshire East officers found that Nazari had failed to keep the food premises clean and that the structure was in a bad state of repair. They also observed poor food preparation and storage conditions.

During the inspections, it was also found that equipment that came into contact with food was not being effectively cleaned and that hand wash basins were not used regularly.

Councillor Ainsley Arnold, Cheshire East Council cabinet member with responsibility for regulatory services, said: “Pursuing the conviction of Mr Nazari will send out an important message to anyone who thinks it is acceptable to take short cuts, when it comes to food hygiene.

“Residents and visitors to our borough should never be exposed to unnecessary health risks and I strongly urge all our food operators to take this opportunity to review their procedures and policies.

“I know that this example of poor food hygiene standards is a very rare incident in our borough but rest assured we will never allow unhygienic practices to go unpunished.”