Latest news in Yorkshire: April 04, 2019 12:51:31 PM
#wathupondearne
A pharmacist and the food supplement company he was running face fines
and costs totalling almost £33,000, following sentencing at Sheffield
Crown Court on Tuesday, 2 April.
Pharmacist Zulfkar Ahmad (also known as Zulfkar Akram), 65, pleaded
guilty to five charges laid against him and Ultralife Nutrition Limited
under the neglect of a director provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990.
Mr Ahmad and the company he was sole director of at the time, Ultralife
Nutrition Limited Wembley Works Hemmingfield Road, Wombwell, Barnsley,
was ordered to pay fines and costs of £32,770 for breaching food laws
and selling food supplements with unclear allergen ingredients and
misleading company name and address which could have impeded a recall of
their products.
The court heard that the company had ceased trading since Trading
Standards officers from Barnsley Council’s Regulatory Services had
visited in March 2018 and found problems with its food supplement
labelling, prompting a national recall of its products.
At the hearing, the Judge told the company its actions had fallen below
acceptable standards and that it had not paid adequate attention to the
law. He commended Barnsley Council for bringing the case, as companies
who compromise public safety must be brought in line. The Judge reminded
the defendant of the tragic potential consequence of providing
inaccurate information on allergens.
Charge one and two were for Breach of Food Information Regulations 2014
– failure to properly declare allergenic ingredients; charges three,
four and five related to breach of Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations
2014 in that the names and address on products were incorrect and
misleading.
Essential allergen information, including nut ingredients, was not
correctly displayed on the food supplements. Ultralife Nutrition Limited
and Mr Ahmad had failed to carry out reasonable checks to make sure
their labels were compliant with UK labelling law and clearly identify
to their customers what allergens were contained in them.
Further charges were brought by Barnsley Council, when it was discovered
that some of the product lines sold by Ultralife Nutrition from Wembley
works misleadingly showed the names of dissolved companies and addresses
in Buckinghamshire and Huddersfield. This would have seriously delayed
traceability if problems had arisen with the products and prevented
customer correspondence and complaints being received by the company.
The misleading products discovered were marketed under the brand name
Ultralife.
The fines and costs for the company and the individual (both fined
separately) are as follows:
Ultralife Lean Gain product (inaccurate allergen information) £4,000
Ultralife Detox Product (inaccurate allergen information) £4,000
Ultralife Antioxidant (inaccurate name/address) £2,000
Ultralife Fruit and Veg (inaccurate name/address) £2,000
Ultralife Max Nutrition (inaccurate name/address) £2,000
Costs £2,385.29
Julia Burrows, Director of Public Health, Barnsley Council, said:
“Consumers need to have confidence that the labels on their food are
accurate, particularly in relation to allergen information. Where we
find businesses are disregarding public protection laws we will take
appropriate enforcement action. This case also demonstrates the
responsibilities of Directors of Limited companies and how they can face
personal liability where they have neglected to properly oversee their
business.”
[tags drugs, health, wombwell]